Pakistan Blast: A suicide attack on the Bannu Cantonment in northwest Pakistan killed at least nine people and injured 16 on Tuesday, reported PTI. The attack involved two explosive-laden vehicles that rammed into the boundary wall of the military facility. Security forces neutralised at least six terrorists, police said.
The attack took place around sunset. Bannu Cantonment is located about 200 km southwest of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
A little-known militant group, Jaish Al Fursan, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group is affiliated with Hafiz Gul Bahadur and is linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Sources said five civilians died in nearby buildings. Four more bodies were recovered from the debris of a mosque adjacent to the cantonment’s boundary wall. The injured were shifted to a hospital.
After the explosions, at least five to six attackers tried to enter the cantonment. Security forces killed them before they could advance further, police added.
The army sealed the main routes leading to the cantonment and restricted access to the blast site, sources said.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the attack and sought a report on the incident.
“Such incidents during the holy month of Ramadan are extremely condemnable and tragic,” he said. He also expressed sorrow over the loss of lives and extended condolences to the victims’ families.
(With PTI inputs)
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