Two Army Officers Among 6 Security Personnel Martyred as 8 Militants Killed in Hangu Fire Exchange

Pakistan's ISPR said a security forces convoy came under attack from Fitna al-Khawarij (the state's designation for the TTP) militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Hangu district on September 20, 2026. In the resulting firefight, six security personnel were martyred, including two young army officers — Captain Abuzar Farooq, 23, of Gujranwala district, and Lieutenant Sheraz Babar, 22, of Chakwal district — who ISPR said led their troops from the front; three sepoys and one non-combatant were also killed. Security forces killed eight militants in the exchange. The attack came a day after the Kohat Police Lines mosque bombing death toll was finalized at 31 and amid Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid's warning of a 'crushing response' to any Pakistani cross-border strike, and directly preceded Pakistan's September 21 airstrikes into Kunar and Paktika provinces.