Gunbattle in overnight attack on a check post by at least 20 militants PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Ten police were shot dead at a check post near the Afghan border, officials said Friday, in an attack claimed by the Pakistan Taliban. “The intense exchange of fire lasted for nearly an hour. Ten Frontier Constabulary personnel were martyred, and seven were wounded during the attack,” a senior intelligence officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. About 20 to 25 militants launched a heavy assault on a post of the Frontier Constabulary, a police assistance force, in the Dera Ismail Khan district of southwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistan Taliban claimed the attack in a statement to AFP. Pakistan has seen an increase in militancy since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021, with the Pakistani chapter of the movement carrying out attacks mostly targeting security forces. Police are regularly targeted by militants in the region.