Pakistan: Car bomb attack at checkpoint kills 12

"“Last night in the Fateh Khel area of Bannu, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police checkpoint, after which multiple militants entered the post,” Bannu police official Muhammad Sajjad Khan said. He said 12 officers were dead and one was missing. Officials said the car was filled with explosives when militants rammed it into the post."

"“During the assault, the militants used quadcopters along with heavy weaponry,” a senior administrative official in Bannu told AFP. “In addition, while retreating, the attackers took police personnel and weapons from the station with them,” he added."

"An officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that other law enforcement personnel had been sent to help the police but that the terrorists had ambushed them, causing some of the casualties."

"The attack was the latest in the border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, amid a wave of militancy that hasstrained ties between Islamabad and Kabul. Bannu, has been gripped by militant activity due to its proximity to the borderwith Afghanistan. Afghanistan's Taliban government has denied Pakistani accusations that it provides safe haven to militant groups."

A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police checkpoint in Fateh Khel, Bannu, late Saturday. Multiple militants then entered the post and opened fire on officers. At least 12 officers were killed, and one officer was reported missing. Responding law enforcement personnel were ambushed, increasing casualties. Images showed the checkpoint reduced to rubble with charred debris and damaged vehicles. Militants used quadcopters alongside heavy weaponry during the assault. During retreat, attackers took police personnel and weapons from the station. The attack occurred amid rising militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, including Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan cities.

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