At least 12 civilians, including three children, lost their lives, and dozens were injured following a devastating attack in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday evening. The assault involved two explosive-laden vehicles detonated at an army compound in Bannu, a district located in the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders the country’s formerly self-governed tribal areas. The attack occurred at sunset, coinciding with the breaking of fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident, labeling the attackers as “cowardly terrorists” who target innocent civilians, especially during a sacred period. He asserted that such individuals “deserve no mercy.”
Officials reported that the initial blasts were followed by a gunfight, with a security source stating that 12 militants attempted to storm the compound immediately after the explosions. The intensity of the blasts created craters four feet deep and caused damage to at least eight houses in the vicinity. The death toll rose to twelve, which includes three children and two women, with about 32 others wounded.
The militant group responsible for the attack, a faction of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur armed group, claimed responsibility, asserting that their fighters successfully accessed an important target and took control, though further details were not provided.
Local residents experienced terrifying moments as plumes of gray smoke filled the air after the explosions. Nadir Ali Shah, a 40-year-old local resident recovering in the hospital from injuries, described the chaos, saying the explosion’s force hurled him several feet away and caused extensive damage to the neighborhood, referring to it as a scene of “apocalyptic devastation.”
This latest assault follows a suicide bombing earlier in the month that claimed six lives at an Islamic religious school in the same province, attended by significant Taliban leaders. The frequency of these violent incidents has surged since the Taliban regained control in Afghanistan in August 2021.
The Hafiz Gul Bahadur group previously targeted the same army compound last July, using a vehicle-borne explosive to breach the boundary wall, resulting in the deaths of eight Pakistani soldiers. According to data from the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad, last year marked the deadliest in a decade for Pakistan, with over 1,600 people killed in such attacks.
Much of the violence in Pakistan is concentrated in border areas adjacent to Afghanistan. Islamabad has accused the Taliban government in Kabul of failing to eliminate militant groups operating within their borders, which are believed to be planning assaults on Pakistan, a claim the Taliban administration has consistently denied.
