Pakistan: At least 11 killed, 22 injured after terrorists target cantt with explosives-laden vehicles

ISLAMABAD: At least 11 people, including five women and four children, were killed, and 22 others were injured after terrorists rammed two explosives-laden vehicles into the perimeter of Bannu Cantonment in an attempt to enter the high-security zone on Tuesday evening, Dawn reported.

Six attackers were killed in the shootout, which took place in the jurisdiction of the Bannu Cantonment police station, Dawn reported, citing sources. The terrorists blew up the vehicles at the gate after the security personnel posted to the cantonment area had intercepted them.

Following the blast, the terrorists tried to infiltrate the camp, leading to a gun battle, Dawn reported, citing official sources. The statement further said, “The attack started at 6.30 pm, minutes after Iftar. Militants fired RPGs and grenades during the attack; additional troops and SSG commandoes have been rushed to the area”.

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The number of deceased and injured included 10 security personnel, Dawn reported. The injured were taken to the District Headquarter Hospital and Khaleefa Gul Nawaz Hospital (KGN) hospitals in Bannu, while the injured troops were taken to the Combined Military Hospitals (CMH) for treatment.

Sources said security forces killed six terrorists on various entry points of the cantonment, adding that the security forces had encircled the rest of the attackers. The Jaish-i-Fursan Muhammad, a faction of the outlawed Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, claimed responsibility for the attack on social media, according to a source.

Due to the intensity of the explosions, the roofs and walls of several houses in the area collapsed, resulting in over a dozen people getting buried under the rubble. A mosque adjacent to the cantonment’s entrance also collapsed, and several worshippers were reportedly trapped under the debris. Rescue efforts were being made to retrieve them from the rubble.

A rescue official said that the medical teams and ambulances were rushed to the area to start a rescue operation. He further said, “People are trapped under the debris of the destroyed houses and a mosque and the rescuers are trying to pull them out.”

A district administration official said that the total number of casualties could not be confirmed yet; hospitals so far had reported that nine people have died while 22 others have sustained injuries. They said that an emergency had been declared in all hospitals, and doctors and paramedics were called out on duty.

Pakistan Army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, had not issued an official statement until this report was published. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to soldiers and expressed sorrow over the killing of innocent civilians, Dawn reported.

He prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured in the incident and said, “Cowardly terrorists who target innocent civilians in the holy month of Ramzan do not deserve any concessions.” He called Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan an enemy of Pakistan and vowed not to allow its evil intentions to succeed.

Several terrorist attacks have taken place in Bannu over the past several months. On February 8, two Pakistani police personnel were killed when terrorists targeted a police post in the Fatehkhel area of the Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Last November, 12 soldiers were killed in a suicide attack on a security checkpoint in the Mali Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In October last year, five terrorists wearing burqas and suicide vests were killed, and four police personnel were killed while trying to foil a gun and bomb attack on Iqbal Shaheed Police Lines. (ANI)