DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Four cops were injured on Saturday when terrorists attacked a police party in the Hathala area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, police said.

In a statement, the district police spokesperson said that the police party, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Kefayat, was on its way when terrorists fired at them near Pota and Al-Amin Farm House.

“Police retaliated, leading to an exchange of fire between the two sides,” the spokesperson said. During the exchange of fire, the police vehicle overturned, injuring several personnel, he added.

DPO Ziauddin Ahmed told Dawn that four policemen were injured in the incident, with one of them sustaining a bullet wound.

“The condition of all the injured is out of danger,” he said.

A heavy contingent from Ijaz Shaheed Police Lines reached the area following the attack, while officials cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

Earlier this month, at least 14 people, lost their lives and 18 others were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up near the Kabal Police Station in Swat.

According to the Annual Security Report 2025 from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), KP recorded a significant surge in violence last year as “fatalities rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025”.

This marked an “absolute increase of 711 deaths, accounting for over 82 per cent of the net national rise and marking almost a 44pc year-on-year surge in violence in the province”.