Suicide Bombing in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Kills 12 Policemen

Islamabad: At least 12 police personnel were killed and several others injured in a deadly suicide attack targeting a police installation in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said on Sunday.

According to official sources, the attack took place around 8:55 p.m. on Saturday in Bannu district when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the police facility, triggering a massive blast and widespread destruction.

Sources said the assault involved a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), followed by quadcopter drone activity and a coordinated ground attack by militants.

Rescue teams and emergency workers continued search and clearance operations through the night, using heavy machinery to remove debris amid fears that more victims could still be trapped under the rubble.

Officials from the Bomb Disposal Squad estimated that nearly 1,200 to 1,500 kilograms of explosives were used in the attack, making it one of the most powerful blasts in the region in recent months.

The militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP) claimed responsibility for the bombing through social media posts.

Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in militant violence in its northwestern regions bordering Afghanistan, with security forces and law enforcement agencies increasingly coming under attack.

The incident comes just a day after Pakistani security forces claimed to have killed five militants in separate intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), four militants linked to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan were killed during an operation in Tank district following an intense exchange of fire.

In another operation in Dera Ismail Khan district, security forces killed one more militant during a gun battle.

The ISPR said weapons and ammunition were recovered from the militants, who were allegedly involved in multiple terrorist activities in the region.

With inputs from IANS