11 lives lost as Bannu survives deadly attack – Pakistan

• Terrorists ram two explosives-laden vehicles into Cantonment gates; six shot dead
• Dead include children and women; over 20 wounded, including 10 troops
• Nearby houses, mosque collapse due to intensity of blasts, several buried under rubble

LAKKI MARWAT: At least 11 people — five women and four children — lost their lives and 22 sustained injuries 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.

Sources told Dawn that six attackers were also killed in the ensuing shoot-out, which took place in the jurisdiction of the Bannu Cantonment police station.

The militants blew up the vehicles at the gate after they were intercepted by security personnel, posted at the entrance to the cantonment area.

Official sources said the blasts were followed by “an unspecified number of militants” trying to infiltrate the camp, resulting in a gun battle. “The attack started at 6:30pm, minutes after Iftar. Militants fired RPGs and grenades during the attack; additional troops and SSG commandoes have been rushed to the area,” the statement added.

Sources also confirmed the number of deceased and wounded, including 10 security men. The wou­nded were evacuated to the DHQ and KGN hospi­tals in Bannu, while the injured troops were moved to the CMH.

Six militants were killed by security forces on various entry points of the cantonment, sources said, adding that the rest of the attackers had been encircled by the security forces.

According to a source, the Jaish-i-Fursan Muha­m­mad, a faction of the outlawed Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, claimed res­ponsibility for the att­ack on social media. How­ever, the claim could not be independently verified.

Several houses collapse

Due to the intensity of explosions, the roofs and walls of several houses in the vicinity collapsed, burying over a dozen people under the rubble. A mosque adjacent to the entrance of the cantonment also caved in and several worshippers were reportedly trapped beneath the debris. Rescue efforts were underway to retrieve them from the rubble.

A rescue official said that the medical teams along with ambulances were dispatched to the area to launch a rescue operation. “People are trapped under the debris of the destroyed houses and a mosque and the rescuers are trying to pull them out,” he added.

A district administration official said that the total number of casualties could not be confirmed yet, as nine dead and 22 injured had been reported from hospitals so far. They said that emergency had been declared in all hospitals, and doctors and paramedics had been called out on duty. The Pakistan Army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, had not issued an official statement by the time this report went to press.

Bannu has witnessed several militant attacks over the past several months.

Last year, on October 14, five militants wearing burqas and suicide vests were killed as four police officials embraced martyrdom in an attempt to foil a gun and bomb attack on Iqbal Shaheed Police Lines. On November 20 last year, 12 troops were martyred in a suicide attack on a security check post in the Mali Khel area of the district. On February 8, this year, two policemen were martyred when terrorists attacked a police post in the Fatehkhel area of the district.

PM expresses sorrow

In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to security forces and expressed sorrow and grief over the martyrdom of innocent civilians in the incident. He prayed for the highest ranks of the martyrs and patience for their families and the speedy recovery of those injured in the incident.

“Cowardly terrorists who target innocent civilians in the holy month of Ramazan do not deserve any concessions,” the premier said. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan is the enemy of Pakistan and its evil intentions would never be allowed to succeed.

In a separate statement, KP government spokesperson Barrister Saif said all attackers had been killed by the security forces. “The roof of a nearby mosque collapsed as a result of the explosions, causing the martyrdom of worshippers,” he said, adding that the total number of the slain was being determined.

He said Khyber Pakh­tun­khwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had issued instructions for an inquiry into the incident, adding that the provincial government shared the grief of the families and the martyrs.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2025