Pakistan Suicide Bombing Kills 15 Security Personnel In Bannu

The attack took place in the Fatehkhel area of Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where militants first rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the police post before opening fire on security forces, local police officials said.

Images circulating from the scene showed the checkpoint heavily damaged, with debris, burned vehicles and collapsed walls scattered around the site.

Mohammad Sajjad Khan, a police spokesperson in Bannu, said a suicide bomber drove the vehicle into the compound and several armed attackers entered the area after the blast.

A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said reinforcement teams dispatched to the scene were ambushed on their way, causing additional casualties during the clashes.

Local authorities said the attackers used heavy weapons and small quadcopter drones during the assault. A senior administrative official in Bannu said the militants also took away weapons and several police personnel while retreating from the area.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, militant violence has sharply increased in Pakistan's northwestern regions in recent years, particularly in areas bordering Afghanistan.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has witnessed repeated attacks targeting police, military and government installations as armed groups expand operations in the region. Pakistani authorities have launched several counterterrorism operations, but deadly assaults on security forces continue.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused militant groups operating from Afghan territory of carrying out cross-border attacks, an allegation denied by the Taliban administration in Kabul. The issue has strained relations between the two neighboring countries over the past two years.

The latest attack comes amid growing security concerns in Pakistan, where officials say militant activity has intensified since the collapse of the former Western-backed Afghan government in 2021 and the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan.

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