Suicide Attack and Gunbattle Kill 12 in Northwest Pakistan

BANNU, Pakistan: At least 12 people, including six security personnel, were killed after a suicide bombing and prolonged gunbattle at a paramilitary base in northwest Pakistan, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

The attack began at dawn when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of a base in Bannu, near the Afghan border. The blast allowed several armed assailants to storm the compound, sparking nearly 12 hours of intense fighting with security forces.

Regional police chief Sajjad Khan told reporters that six militants and six security members were killed, while 16 security personnel and three civilians were injured. “Our forces fought bravely for almost 12 hours to repel the attackers,” he said.

Bannu lies close to Pakistan’s restive tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, a region long known as a haven for militant groups. No organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, but officials suspect the involvement of Islamist extremists, particularly Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has waged an insurgency against the state since 2007 in a bid to impose stricter Islamic rule.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused militants of operating from across the Afghan border, training fighters, and planning assaults from sanctuaries there—an allegation the Taliban government in Kabul consistently denies.