PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle and other insurgents opened fire near the outer wall of a military facility in northwestern Pakistan early Monday morning, killing at least four soldiers and wounding dozens, including civilians, officials said.
The military has not yet commented on the attack in Bannu, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.
However, four local security officials reported that all five attackers had been killed.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
However, a local police official, Tahir Khan, said security forces responded quickly to the “coordinated attack” and thwarted an attempt by the insurgents to enter the sprawling military complex in the city of Bannu, which mainly houses army offices and security forces housing.
He also said army helicopters and ground troops were still reaching the area to track down more militants.
Pakistan has seen an increase in militant attacks in recent years, especially in the northwest.
In January 2023, militants at least 101 people, mainly police officers, when a suicide bomber disguised as a police officer attacked a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion likely lies with the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks on security forces across the country in recent months.
Pakistan’s Taliban — known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP — are a separate group but an ally of the Afghan Taliban. The TTP has stepped up its attacks on security forces since the Afghan Taliban seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.