Bannu: At least nine people and six attackers were killed while 25 others were wounded as security forces foiled a coordinated suicide attack on a military cantonment in Pakistan's northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan security said Tuesday.
According to Kuwait News Agency, initial police reports indicated that suicide bombers drove two explosive-laden cars into the Bannu Cantonment compound's perimeter wall, triggering massive explosions in an attempt to gain entry. The attackers attempted to infiltrate the military cantonment, but the prompt actions of the security forces prevented them from breaching the area. Security forces killed at least six attackers at various entry points before they could cause further damage.
The explosions from the bomb-laden vehicles resulted in damage to a nearby mosque, and the roofs of nearby houses collapsed. A spokesperson for the government-run District Headquarter Hospital, Noman Khattab, confirmed to the media that nine civilians, including four children and two women, were killed in the blast, while 25 others sustained injuries. A medical emergency has been declared in all district hospitals, and staff have been recalled on duty. The condition of a few injured individuals is reported as critical, and the death toll is feared to rise.
President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Bannu Cantonment. In their separate messages, they expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of precious human lives in the attack. President Zardari appreciated the security forces for killing the terrorists, stating that "such attack during Iftar in the holy month of Ramadan is a heinous act and the entire nation rejects such atrocious acts." He prayed for the highest ranks for the martyrs and patience for their families.
Prime Minister Sharif commended the security forces for their timely response in preventing a potentially devastating assault. He offered his condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for their elevated ranks in the hereafter. He also prayed for the swift recovery of those injured in the attack and ordered the authorities concerned to provide the injured persons with the best medical treatment and facilities.
The incident comes shortly after another attack last Friday, where at least six people, including a religious leader Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, were killed, and around 20 others were injured in a suicide blast inside a mosque at a religious seminary in Nowshera district of KPK.