A deadly overnight siege at a police training facility concluded early Saturday after security forces successfully eliminated all six heavily armed assailants, including a suicide bomber, but not before seven police personnel were martyred in the five-hour-long gun battle.

The outlawed militant outfit Fitna al-Khawarij has claimed responsibility for the assault on the Police Training School in the Ratta Kulachi area, which also left 13 other officers with injuries.

According to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), the harrowing incident began late Friday night when the militants initiated their attack by ramming an explosives-laden truck into the school’s main gate. The resulting massive blast brought down a section of the boundary wall.

One officer was tragically killed after being trapped under the debris from the explosion. Following the breach, the attackers, who were disguised in various uniforms, stormed the compound and opened indiscriminate fire, leading to a fierce confrontation.

Another brave officer engaged the militants but was martyred after they hurled hand grenades at his position. The gunfight continued for several hours as the assailants launched repeated grenade attacks and set fire to the nearby NADRA Center.

A major tragedy was averted as arriving police reinforcements, led by DPO Sahibzada Sajjad Ahmed and RPO Syed Ashfaq Anwar, managed to safely evacuate all trainee recruits and staff members. Approximately 200 individuals were rescued without harm during the swift operation.

After a grueling five-hour joint effort, police and security forces neutralized all six terrorists. A search of the compound led to the recovery of suicide vests, explosives, weapons, and ammunition from their possession.

The martyred officers were identified as Constables Mudassir, Jalal, Daniyal, Langari Ismatullah, Anwar, Recruit Constable Farhanullah, and an unidentified Head Constable from the Levis Kohat Platoon.

Among the 13 injured personnel were Constables Naseer Muhammad, Muhammad Shoaib, Hazrat Ali, Yaqoob, Saleem, Saddam Hussain, Saeed ur Rehman, Amanullah, Abdullah, and Recruit Constables Mudassir, Ismat Abbas, Yasir, and Ijaz Ahmed.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zulfiqar Hameed, lauded the swift and coordinated response, praising the RPO and DPO for leading from the front. He said their courage demonstrated the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police’s unwavering resolve to eradicate terrorism from the province.