Suicide bomber attacks military facility in northwestern Pakistan

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle, and at least one of his accomplices exploded his vest near the outer wall of a military facility in northwestern Pakistan, wounding eight civilians and damaging nearby homes, a local police official said.

Tahir Khan said on Monday that security forces quickly responded to the “coordinated attack” and foiled an attempt by the insurgents to enter the sprawling military facility in the city of Bannu, which mainly houses offices of the military and homes of security forces.

He also said army helicopters and ground forces were still reaching the area to track more militants.

Local authorities said several soldiers were also wounded in the attacks.

There was no immediate comment from the government or military.

Bannu is in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The province has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent years.

Possible perpetrators

In January 2023, militants killed at least 101 people, mostly police officers, when a suicide bomber disguised as a policeman attacked a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but the suspicion is likely to fall on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who have stepped up attacks on security forces across the country in recent months.

TTP — who are also known as the Pakistani Taliban — are a separate group but loosely affiliated with Afghan Taliban.

The terror group has stepped up its attacks on Pakistani security forces since the Afghan Taliban seized power in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021.