On February 18, 2026, a coordinated militant attack on the Yarik police station and a customs office in Dera Ismail Khan resulted in the deaths of two security officials, customs official Israr Khan and police constable Mohammad Bilal, while two others were injured. The assailants, armed with automatic weapons, targeted both the police station and passenger buses on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route, causing widespread panic. Authorities reported that the police's Quick Response Unit engaged the militants, forcing them to flee after a fierce exchange of fire. Following the attack, security measures were tightened across the region, and a comprehensive search operation was launched to apprehend the attackers. This incident adds to the escalating violence in the region, which has seen a series of attacks, including a suicide bombing on February 17 that killed 11 soldiers and a child at a military checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan, marking a significant surge in militant activity. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have condemned these attacks and reaffirmed their commitment to combating terrorism.