Dera Ismail Khan: At least 19 people, including 13 police personnel and six attackers, were killed when armed militants launched an assault on a police training school in the Ratta Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan on Friday. The exchange of fire lasted for more than six hours before the situation was brought under control.
According to police sources, the attackers rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the main gate of the training facility, destroying part of the entrance. Following the blast, the assailants, wearing various uniforms, entered the compound and opened indiscriminate fire. One police officer was killed in a grenade attack during the initial assault.
Security forces engaged the militants in intense fighting for several hours and eventually killed all six attackers. Authorities later recovered suicide vests, explosives and ammunition from the site. Thirteen others were injured and shifted to nearby hospitals. Around 200 trainees and staff members were safely evacuated during the operation.
District Police Officer Sahibzada Sajjad Ahmed confirmed that the area has been cleared, though search and clearance operations remain underway.
The militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP) claimed responsibility for the attack, releasing bodycam footage showing parts of the assault. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) initially claimed involvement but later denied responsibility.
