A five-hour gun battle was triggered by a suicide attack at a police training centre school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan, police said.
Three more terrorists were killed, and six more police personnel died in the exchange of fire, officials said on Saturday.
Three terrorists were neutralised earlier in retaliatory fire by police personnel after the attack on Ratta Kulachi Police Training School in Dera Ismail Khan district, and a few others were said to be holed up inside the compound. During a clearance operation late Friday night, an exchange of fire led to more casualties on both sides.
Earlier, one policeman was reported dead, taking the number of security personnel killed in the attack to seven, while 13 policemen sustained injuries.
According to officials, all trainee recruits and staff members have been safely evacuated to secure locations. The operation involved SSG commandos, Al-Burq Force, Elite Force, and police personnel.
How terrorists used an explosives-laden truck to invade the police school
The incident occurred late Friday night when terrorists rammed an explosives-laden truck into the main gate of the police training school, triggering a massive explosion. Immediately after the blast, terrorists in various uniforms stormed into the compound and opened indiscriminate fire. Police personnel retaliated and surrounded the attackers. During the exchange of fire, the militants continued throwing hand grenades.
After an intense five-hour engagement, six terrorists were eliminated. DPO Dera Ismail Khan Sahibzada Sajjad Ahmed and RPO Syed Ashfaq Anwar are said to have supervised the operation on-site.
Security forces recovered suicide vests, explosives, modern weapons, and ammunition from their possession. Thirteen injured police personnel were promptly shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment. According to the DPO, around 200 trainees, instructors, and staff members were present at the training school during the attack and were safely moved to secure areas.
Inspector General of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zulfiqar Hameed, confirmed that the area has been completely cleared, and a search and clean-up operation is underway to eliminate any remaining threats.
The IGP praised the leadership of the RPO and DPO for the successful operation, paying tribute to the martyrs and announcing rewards for the officers and personnel who took part in the mission.