Deadly Suicide Bombing In Pakistan Kills 12 Civilians, Including Six Children
At least 12 people have been killed in a bombing attack on a security installation in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to police and hospital officials.
Two attackers drove explosive-laden vehicles into the compound’s wall in Bannu, while other assailants stormed the site before being repelled, a security official who requested anonymity told The Associated Press.
Muhammad Noman, a spokesman for Bannu District Hospital, confirmed that 12 people were killed and 30 others wounded in the attack. The casualties were all civilians who were trapped under collapsed buildings and walls, with at least seven children among the dead, according to the hospital’s list.
A group affiliated with the Pakistan Taliban, Jaish al-Fursan, claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that dozens of Pakistani security forces were killed. However, the military has not provided immediate confirmation of any casualties. A police official told AFP that six attackers were killed in an exchange of gunfire after the assault.
The blasts created “two four-foot craters” and were so powerful that at least eight nearby houses were damaged, according to a police source. Jaish al-Fursan said in a statement that the blasts came from explosive-laden vehicles.
Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, condemned the attack and requested a report from senior police officials.
This attack follows a suicide bombing earlier in the week that killed six people at an Islamic religious school in the same province, a school frequented by key Taliban leaders.
Pakistan experienced a surge in attacks in 2024, making it the deadliest year in a decade, with more than 1,600 people killed, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies. Islamabad has accused the Taliban government in Kabul of failing to eliminate militant groups operating from Afghan soil, a charge the Taliban denies.
