A suicide attack in northwest Pakistan has resulted in the deaths of twelve soldiers, according to military reports released on Wednesday. This latest violence follows a prior clash in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region that also left eight individuals dead.
The suicide bombing occurred on Tuesday when an explosion caused the deaths of what the army described as “12 brave sons of soil.” The military’s statement indicated that the attack was preceded by an armed confrontation between soldiers and six militants, all of whom were killed during the exchange of fire. The incident took place in Bannu, located in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
According to the military, the militants attempted to breach a military post but were effectively thwarted by the troops stationed there, which led them to drive an explosive-laden vehicle into the compound’s perimeter wall. The claim of responsibility for the attack was made by the Pakistani Taliban faction led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur.
In response to the tragic event, President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his condolences and reaffirmed his commitment to eliminating terrorism in the region. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the violent act.
The suicide blast in Bannu was reported to have occurred less than 24 hours after another deadly encounter in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. That clash, which took place on Monday, extended over several hours and involved a confrontation in the Tirah area, resulting in the deaths of eight soldiers and nine militants. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for that attack, framing it as retribution against security forces conducting searches for one of their members.
In a related incident near the site of the Bannu explosion, seven police officers had been taken captive on the same day as the clash but were freed after negotiations between local leaders and their captors. Senior police official Muhammad Zia ud-Din confirmed that all kidnapped officers were released.
It is important to note that the TTP operates independently from Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s faction, although both groups have been involved in supporting the Afghan Taliban against the US-led NATO coalition since 2001. Since the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021, there has been a notable increase in violence within Pakistan’s border regions.
The TTP had previously executed an attack in late October, resulting in the deaths of ten police officers at a checkpoint in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In a separate incident in southwestern Pakistan, seven soldiers were killed over the weekend at a border post by separatists from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). This attack followed a devastating bombing attributed to the same group that killed 26 individuals, including 14 soldiers, at a train station in Quetta just a week prior.
