BANNU: At least five people, including three women and a child, were killed, and four others seriously injured in a suicide attack outside a police station in Bannu on Friday, according to security sources.
The bomber targeted civilians gathered outside the Domail police station but failed to carry out the attack as intended.Security sources confirmed that the attack was carried out by Fitna al-Khawarij militants.
The injured were immediately shifted to nearby hospitals for urgent medical treatment. Rescue teams and security personnel are currently clearing debris, providing relief, and conducting search operations in the affected area.
The recent attack comes amid ongoing counter-terrorism operations by Pakistani security forces. Over the past two days, 22 terrorists were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported.
On April 1, 13 India-backed terrorists were eliminated in intelligence-based operations in Bara, Khyber District, and Bannu.The following day, eight India-sponsored militants were neutralized along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in North Waziristan District.
These operations are part of Pakistan’s broader efforts to curb a surge in terror activity, particularly in KP and Balochistan, which intensified after the Afghan Taliban assumed power in 2021.
Pakistan had earlier launched “Operation Ghazab lil-Haq,” which resulted in the deaths of approximately 684 Afghan Taliban operatives and allied militants. Over 900 militants were injured, and 252 militant checkposts were destroyed, according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
Border tensions flared again in October 2025 when Afghan Taliban and allied militants launched unprovoked attacks on Pakistani border posts. Over 200 Taliban fighters were killed, and 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred while defending the country.
Despite multiple rounds of talks, the two sides have been unable to reach an agreement due to the Afghan Taliban regime’s reluctance to act against terrorist outfits.