ISLAMABAD: Fifteen cops were killed late Saturday night as militants carried out a suicide bombing and a subsequent attack at a police checkpost in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, a police official said.
The attack took place late Saturday night as militants targeted the Fateh Khel police checkpost in the northwestern Bannu district, police spokesperson Kashif Khan said. The attack took place when militants rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the police checkpost and launched an attack on it later, Khan added.
In a separate statement, Bannu police said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Sajjad Khan arrived at the site shortly after the attack and led the police operation against militants.
“So far, the bodies of 15 martyred personnel have been recovered from the collapsed building,” Bannu police said in a statement.
A militant alliance known as the Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing.
Police said reinforcements reached the site on time as the attack occurred, adding that the area has been completely cordoned off.
“Search and rescue operations are still ongoing,” it said.
The DIG later visited DHQ Hospital Bannu to inquire after the injured police personnel and directed authorities to provide them with the best possible medical facilities.
Pakistani law enforcers in the past have also been the target of militant attacks by the Pakistani Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militants who launch attacks against it, particularly the TTP, charges that Kabul denies.
Surging militant attacks in Pakistan since the Taliban took over in Afghanistan in 2021 have soured relations between Islamabad and Kabul, leading to fierce clashes between both sides since February this year.
