PESHAWAR: Police arrested two armed suspects, one in an injured condition, after a patrolling party came under fire in the Tor Dhand area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district.

The district police officer’s (DPO) spokesman, Shaukatullah, said that the attack took place within the limits of the City police station, while the police party was on routine patrol duty.

“When the cops signalled two suspects travelling on a motorcycle to stop, they instead opened fire in a bid to escape,” he said.

According to the spokesperson, the law enforcers returned the attack, triggering a gun battle.

The official said that DPO Imran Khan also dispatched reinforcements when he learned about the attack on the police party.

“When the exchange of fire stopped, police launched a search and clearance operation and captured two suspects, one in injured condition, and disarmed them,” he said.

He added that the police seized arms and ammunition from them and took the injured suspect to a nearby hospital.

The DPO, along with Superintendent of Police (SP) Investigation Kamal Hussain and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Yousaf Khan, also reached the scene. They praised the policemen for their bravery and “result-oriented actions” against the suspects, the spokesperson added.

Despite record militant deaths, Pakistan saw a sharp escalation in militant violence in 2025, with terrorist attacks rising by 34 per cent and terrorism-related fatalities increasing by 21 per cent year on year, according to a report released by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies.

Over the last few months, several areas of KP, including Bannu, Peshawar, Karak, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur, have witnessed a series of terrorist attacks on police personnel.

Security forces killed 22 terrorists in a joint intelligence-based operation (IBO) in KP’s Khyber District last week.

Earlier this month, at least five policemen, including an officer, were injured in an explosion in the Shahbazkhel town in Lakki Marwat.

Last month, security forces killed 13 terrorists in five separate operations across KP. These operations came after a lieutenant colonel and a sepoy were martyred in a suicide attack during an IBO in Bannu.