Suicide bombing leaves at least 12 dead in NW Pakistan; six terrorists neutralised

Peshawar: At least 12 persons, including four children, were killed and 30 injured as two explosive-laden vehicles rammed into the boundary wall of the main cantonment in Bannu in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday while the army personnel neutralised at least six terrorists.

The suicide bombers hit the wall of Bannu Cantonment, about 200 kms south-west of Peshawar, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the evening around sunset time, police said.

Hafiz Gul Bahadur-affiliated little known Jaish Al Fursan, in a statement, claimed the attack in Bannu. The group is one of the several factions of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Dr Numan, spokesperson of the DHQ Hodpital at Bannu said 12 civilians were killed in Bannu cantonment suicide blast and 30 were injured and added that the dead also included four children and two women.

A dozen casualties were reported from the nearby civil buildings and the debris of a mosque adjacent to Bannu cantonment's boundary wall hit by the suicide bombers, sources said quoting the hospital authorities.

All the injured have been shifted to the hospital, the sources added.

After the explosions, the cantonment wall was breached and many terrorists attempted to enter the cantonment, however, at least six of them were neutralised while the remaining have been surrounded, security sources confirmed.

Sources also said that the army authorities have sealed the main routes leading to the cantonment and not providing access to the blast site.

The clearance operation will continue until all terrorists are eliminated, according to security sources.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the Bannu explosion and sought a report on the incident.

Expressing sorrow over the loss of human lives, he extended heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families of the martyrs.

“Such incidents during the holy month of Ramadan are extremely condemnable and tragic,” Gandapur said.

The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42 per cent compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.

The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants. Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) remained the worst-affected province, followed by Balochistan. In KP's settled districts, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 19 fatalities, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and two militants.

The tribal districts of KP (erstwhile Fata) witnessed 19 attacks, leading to 46 deaths, including 13 security personnel, eight civilians, and 25 militants, the data showed.