According to information so far, 18 police personnel have been killed in the Bannu attack. The number of police personnel killed in the militant attack on a police post in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has risen to 18.
Spokesperson for the Bannu Medical and Teaching Institute, Nauman Khan, has confirmed that 15 people have been killed in the attack on the Fateh Khel post on the spot. According to him, all those killed were police personnel.
In addition, three injured people were brought to the hospital and their condition is reported to be out of danger.
Earlier, a statement issued by the office of Bannu’s Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan said that 12 police personnel’s bodies had been recovered from the rubble of the Fateh Khel post building, while three personnel were pulled out alive from the debris.
A statement issued by the office of Bannu’s Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan said that 12 police personnel’s bodies have been recovered from the rubble of the Fateh Khel post building, while three personnel have been rescued alive from the debris.
According to police, the bodies and the injured have been immediately shifted to Bannu District Headquarters Hospital. The statement added that the area has been completely cordoned off and the rescue and search operation is still ongoing.
A police official, reported that militants had rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the police post.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has strongly condemned the attack on the Fateh Khel post and directed that the injured be provided with the best possible medical care.
Sohail Afridi said that the war against militants is not just Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s war but the entire country’s war.
But Pashtun nation said, It only war on Pashtun soil, only Pashtun genocide is going on from last 24 years.
According to reports received from local residents, a large portion of the police post building has collapsed in the explosion, and nearby houses have also been damaged.
Initial information indicates that the banned organization Ittihad al-Mujahideen Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attack, though police officials have not yet confirmed it.
A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the attackers were trying to enter the police post and that there was sustained gunfire for a considerable time during the incident.
Another police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “The militants first attacked the post with an explosives-laden vehicle, and then armed attackers entered the post’s compound and began firing at the police.”
Police, citing an official, said that the militants attempted to drive an explosives-laden vehicle into the police station, but police opened fire on them. The official said the police post has been completely destroyed.
He said, “Additional security forces were sent to assist the police, and the militants also attacked them, causing some casualties.”
Some police sources told, that the militants also used “drones” in the attack, though this claim cannot be independently verified.
Police say the area has been completely sealed off and a clearance operation is underway.
Ambulances from rescue services and civilian hospitals have been dispatched to the area, and officials have said that an emergency has been declared at Bannu’s government hospitals.
Previously, Pakistan had mostly blamed the Pakistani Taliban for such attacks and accused the Taliban government in Afghanistan of harboring militants who plan attacks inside Pakistan from Afghan territory. However, the Taliban government has rejected these accusations, saying it does not allow anyone to use Afghan soil against another country, and has called security incidents in Pakistan an internal problem for Pakistan.
Such armed attacks could, however, lead to a renewed outbreak of clashes and violence between Pakistan and the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
In recent months, there have been intense clashes between Pakistan’s military and Taliban government forces, and Pakistan has carried out several airstrikes on Afghan territory that have also caused heavy civilian casualties. Pakistan, however, says its airstrikes inside Afghanistan target militant hideouts and the hideouts of their collaborators.
Although clashes have somewhat decreased in recent times, reports of sporadic skirmishes along the border still surface, and trade between the two countries remains largely suspended.
Security incidents have increased in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent months, with reports of drone strikes alongside explosions. In addition, there have also been reports of targeted killings and kidnappings.
A few days ago, several people were killed and injured in a car bomb explosion in South Waziristan, and prior to that, tribal elder Malik Saif Khan was shot dead by militants in Miranshah, North Waziristan. Afterward, local residents carried out attacks on the militants’ hideouts.
Written by- Laiba Yousafzai
