A suicide bomber and a group of armed militants targeted a security checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan late on Saturday, killing at least three police officers, officials said. The attack took place as an explosives-filled vehicle was detonated near the post in Bannu, leading to a heavy exchange of gunfire, they added.
The incident occurred in the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which shares a border with Afghanistan. Several blasts were heard soon after the assault, and the explosion’s force caused security post to collapse and damaged nearby homes, police official Zahid Khan was quoted as saying by Associated Press.
Pakistan car bombing attack
Khan said the operation was still underway and that the full scale of the destruction would become clear only after the fighting ended.
“The terrorists first attacked the police post with an explosives-laden car, and then militants entered its premises and opened fire on the police personnel,” another police official told news agency Reuters, asking not to be identified.
“Other law enforcement personnel were sent to help the police, but the terrorists ambushed them and caused some casualties.”
Police sources told Reuters that the attackers also deployed drones during the assault.
Rescue teams and ambulances from civil hospitals were rushed to the site. Officials said an emergency had been declared at government hospitals in Bannu.
Who is responsible for the attack?
A militant alliance called Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen reportedly claimed responsibility for the assault.
Such attacks risk increasing tensions along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. In February, the two sides saw their worst clashes in years after Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan, which Islamabad said targeted militant hideouts.
The situation has since calmed, although occasional border clashes continue. No formal ceasefire has been announced so far.
Islamabad has accused Kabul of sheltering militants who use Afghan territory to plan attacks inside Pakistan.
The Taliban has rejected the accusations, saying militancy in Pakistan is a domestic issue.
With inputs from agencies
