Islamabad: At least 12 police personnel were killed and several others injured after a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a police installation in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, official sources said Sunday.
The attack targeted the installation in Bannu district of the province at 8:55 p.m. local time Saturday, causing massive destruction to the facility, the sources told Xinhua news agency on condition of anonymity.
“The assault involved a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, followed by quadcopter drone activity and a subsequent ground attack by militants,” the sources added.
Rescue teams, assisted by heavy machinery, continued clearance operations at the site as authorities feared more bodies could still be trapped under the debris, officials said.
The Bomb Disposal Squad estimated that between 1,200 and 1,500 kg of explosives were used in the attack, the sources added.
A militant outfit identified as Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP) claimed responsibility for the bombing through social media channels.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in its northwestern regions bordering Afghanistan in recent months, particularly targeting security personnel and law enforcement agencies.
Earlier, Friday, Pakistani security forces claimed to have killed five militants in two separate intelligence-based operations in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, reports Xinhua news agency.
Four militants belonging to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan were killed during an operation in Tank district after an intense exchange of fire between security forces and militants, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the military, said in a statement.
In another operation conducted in Dera Ismail Khan district, security forces killed one militant during a gun battle, the statement added.
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed militants, who were allegedly involved in multiple terrorist activities in the area, the ISPR said.
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