KABUL – In a devastating assault, militants carried out a gun and suicide bombing attack on a military outpost in Pakistan’s northwestern Bannu district late Tuesday, killing 12 soldiers and injuring several others, officials confirmed Wednesday.
The attack occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a region bordering Afghanistan and long plagued by militancy. Pakistani security forces responded with a fierce gunfight, killing six attackers and preventing them from breaching the facility. However, a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the outpost, collapsing part of the perimeter wall and causing significant damage.
“Sanitization operations are underway, and the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” the military said, adding that six soldiers were also wounded, with two critically injured.
The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), labeled a global terrorist group by the UN, was blamed for the attack. Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a TTP-aligned faction, claimed responsibility.
Pakistan accuses the TTP of orchestrating attacks from sanctuaries in Afghanistan, urging the Taliban-led government in Kabul to crack down on cross-border militancy. Afghan authorities deny hosting foreign militant groups.
This latest attack highlights a surge in violence, with over 1,100 lives lost across Pakistan this year, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies. The escalation prompted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to authorize a new military offensive in Balochistan, another militancy-hit province vital to China’s infrastructure investments.
Authorities are bracing for further action as the country faces renewed threats from extremist groups.