Nine police officers were killed and 28 others injured in a militant attack on the Khajina Banda police checkpoint in Hangu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The report, published on July 30, said DSP Diyar Khan was among those killed during a prolonged and intense exchange of fire.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hamid said in a statement that members of the militant group Fitna Al Khawarij carried out the assault. He claimed that police counteraction killed 15 “Khawarij” and injured several others.

Separately, militants fired at another police checkpoint in the Adezai area under Mattani police station in Peshawar late Wednesday night. Police returned fire, after which the attackers fled; no police personnel were reported killed or injured there. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the Hangu attack and expressed deep condolences to the families of the officers killed.