Dera Ismail Khan: Armed militants on Wednesday attacked Hathala police checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, however, no casualties were reported, Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper reported.

Syed Yaqoob Bukhari, a police spokesman for Kulachi police station, told Dawn that the militants were armed with sophisticated weapons. He said that the police retaliated the attack, forcing the attackers to flee.

Soon after receiving information about the incident, district police officer Mohammad Shoaib Khan along with a heavy contingent of police reached the spot and launched a search operation in the area, according to Dawn.

Recently, a policeman was gunned down by unidentified assailants in the Mallah Khel area of Pakistan's Dera Ismail Khan district, Dawn reported quoting officials.

Head constable Gul Baran died in the attack. The assailants shot Baran while he was on his way back home, police spokesman Syed Yaqoob Bukhari was quoted in the Dawn report as saying.

A heavy police contingent reached the site of the incident and cordoned off the area. A search operation was also launched by the authorities to find the attackers, according to the Dawn report.

Prior to this, two police personnel and a cook were killed in a terrorist attack on a police check-post in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 19.

The police station caught fire after terrorists opened fire on the check-post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Tekhta Beg and used explosive material in the attack, the report said citing local police. Speaking to journalists, Jamrud SHO Shah Khalid called the attack on the police check-post a suicide attack.