A suicide attack in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province resulted in the deaths of 12 soldiers and left numerous others with serious injuries. This act of suicide bombing occurred when a terrorist detonated a vehicle packed with explosives close to a military checkpoint.
On Wednesday, in northwestern Pakistan, a suicide bomber exploded a vehicle filled with explosives at a security checkpoint, resulting in the death of 12 security force members and multiple injuries.
According to the army’s statement, the assault occurred on Tuesday evening in Bannu district of the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, marking it as one of the most fatal attacks in recent months. The statement reported that six militants lost their lives in the shootout as well.
The report mentioned that our own soldiers successfully prevented the infiltration of the post, causing the terrorists to crash the vehicle full of explosives into the post’s wall. The suicide bombing led to a section of the boundary wall collapsing and nearby infrastructure being damaged, resulting in the deaths of 12 security personnel.
The perpetrator is a faction that has split off from the Pakistani Taliban. Referred to as the faction led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur. The group took credit for the attack in a statement. Pakistan has witnessed a continuous rise in violence since November 2022, following the Pakistani Taliban’s termination of a ceasefire with the government in Islamabad.
The Pakistani Taliban, referred to as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is a distinct organization but is a supporter of the Afghan Taliban, who took control of Afghanistan in 2021. The TTP has been encouraged by the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan, where their senior members and militants are currently seeking refuge.
In December 2023, a suicide bomber attacked the entrance of a police station in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in northwestern Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of 23 soldiers. The attack in Bannu on Tuesday occurred while the political and military leaders of the country were gathered in Islamabad to strategize on how to counter an increase in militant attacks.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave the green light on Tuesday for a “thorough military operation” targeting separatist organizations, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army, in the southwestern Balochistan province. The directive was issued following a suicide bombing by the organization at a train station in Quetta, the provincial capital, on November 9, resulting in the death of 26 individuals. In recent months, there has been a spike in violence in northwestern Pakistan, with security forces frequently focusing on the TTP and the Gul Bahadur group.
Abdullah Khan, a senior defense analyst and managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies in Islamabad, stated that over 900 security forces have lost their lives in terrorist attacks in the country since the TTP broke the ceasefire with the government in 2022. Khan mentioned that the TTP and other organizations have broadened their activities, indicating an increase in members, finances, and armaments.
He emphasized the importance of political stability in the country to overcome the insurgents. Pakistan has been experiencing a political turmoil since 2022, after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from office due to a no-confidence vote in Parliament. In 2023, he was apprehended and incarcerated. From that moment on, his followers have been gathering together to call for his release.