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At least 21 police officers are killed and three others are injured in a car bomb, followed by gunfire and other explosions, at a checkpoint in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Developing
In Short: A car bombing followed by gunfire and explosions at a police checkpoint in Bannu, Pakistan, resulted in the deaths of at least 21 officers and injuries to three others.
A car bombing at a police post in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, followed by intense gunfire and other explosions, killed at least 21 police officers and injured three others, according to local police and security sources.
The attack, which took place on Saturday, began with a suicide bomber and several fighters detonating an explosives-laden vehicle near the security post, causing the post to collapse and leaving the area in ruins.
Following the bombing, there was an ambush on police personnel rushing to the scene for backup, resulting in additional casualties.
The attack also involved the use of drones, and nearby civilian areas suffered significant damage, with two civilians being wounded.
The conflict in the region has intensified since February, with Pakistani air attacks inside Afghanistan targeting fighters' strongholds, though the Taliban has denied any involvement in the latest attack and stated that armed rebellion in Pakistan is an internal issue.
Background
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population in the world as of 2023.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- A car bombing at a police post, followed by an intense firefight, has killed at least 21 officers in northwestern Pakistan, according to police and security sources.
- Police official Zahid Khan told The Associated Press news agency 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.
- Images after the attack on Saturday showed the police post had been reduced to rubble, with bricks, charred wreckage, and mangled vehicles scattered around the area.
- “A vehicle laden with explosives attacked the police checkpoint,” said Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder.
- 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.
- “Other law enforcement personnel were sent to help the police, but the terrorists ambushed them and caused some casualties,” a police official told Reuters.
- Police sources said the attackers also used drones in the attack.