Peshawar: Pakistan has once again been rocked by a suicide bombing attack. In the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a joint checkpoint, killing 12 security personnel. The military confirmed the attack on Wednesday, stating that six militants were killed in the subsequent gunfight. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the militants attempted to attack a joint checkpoint in the Malikhail area of Bannu district late on Tuesday night, but the security forces successfully thwarted their attempt to breach the checkpoint.
A report by Dawn stated that the suicide blast caused a part of the wall to collapse and damaged nearby infrastructure, resulting in the death of 10 soldiers and two personnel from the Frontier Constabulary. The military also confirmed that six militants were killed during the subsequent firefight. The injured personnel have been admitted to a local hospital. The Hafiz Gul Bahadur armed group has claimed responsibility for the attack. This marks the latest in a series of attacks that have led to the death of 18 soldiers in the past 24 hours, creating widespread panic in Pakistan.
The attack occurred just a day after the country’s civilian and military leadership approved a “comprehensive military operation” against terrorist organizations in Balochistan. Security forces and law enforcement agencies have reiterated their determination to eliminate the threat of terrorism. Terrorist-related incidents have sharply increased in the country, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, in the past year.
Bannu district, where the incident took place, has recently seen a rise in extremist and terrorist violence, including kidnappings of police officers, attacks on girls’ schools, and shootings. A statement from the ISPR confirmed that on November 19 (Tuesday), the militants attempted to attack a joint checkpoint in the Malikhail area of Bannu district.
In July, the Pakistani government designated the banned terrorist organization Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as “Fitna al-Khawarij” and ordered all institutions to refer to terrorist attacks on Pakistan using the term “Khawariji” (outcasts). The ISPR’s statement also mentioned that the attempt to breach the police checkpoint was thwarted by Pakistani soldiers, after which the militants rammed the explosives-laden vehicle into the checkpoint wall.
