

A car bomb attack in Bannu, northwest Pakistan, has killed at least three police officers and injured two civilians. The attack involved a suicide bomber and multiple explosions at a police post.
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A car bombing at a police post followed by an intense firefight has killed at least three officers in northwestern Pakistan, according to police and security sources.
The attack took place in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, late on Saturday.
Police official Zahid Khan told The Associated Press that a suicide bomber and several fighters detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a security post. Shortly after, multiple explosions were heard and the security post collapsed from the impact of the blast, he said.
Pakistan’s Dawn reported that nearby civilian areas also suffered severe damage due to the blasts, and two civilians were injured.
The Reuters news agency, citing security officials, reported that after the bombing, there was an ambush on police personnel rushing to the scene to provide backup.
Police official Sajjad Khan told Reuters that more casualties were feared. He added that fighting was ongoing and the extent of the damage would only be known once the operation was over.
Police sources told Reuters the aggressors also used drones in the attack.
Ambulances from rescue agencies and civil hospitals were dispatched to the scene, with officials saying a state of emergency has been declared in government hospitals in Bannu.
No group immediately claimed responsibility. However, such attacks have the potential to reignite fighting along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.
The worst fighting in years erupted between the allies-turned-foes in February, with Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan that Islamabad said targeted fighters’ strongholds.
Fighting has since eased, with occasional skirmishes breaking out along the border, but no official ceasefire has been brokered.
Islamabad blames Kabul for harbouring armed groups who use Afghan soil to plot attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban has denied the allegations and said militancy in Pakistan is an internal problem.
The Pakistan Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and allied fighter groups have carried out similar attacks in the past. The Pakistan Taliban is a separate group but is often aligned with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.
A car bombing at a police post in Bannu resulted in the deaths of at least three officers and injuries to two civilians.
The attack involved a suicide bomber and several fighters who detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near the police post.
The attack led to the deaths of three police officers, injuries to two civilians, and significant damage to nearby civilian areas.


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