BANNU: At least five persons, including three women and a child, were martyred, while four others sustained serious injuries as a suicide bomber attempted to target civilians gathered outside a police station in Bannu on Friday, security sources said.
A failed attack on the Domail police station in Bannu district was carried out by Fitna al-Khawarij militants, security sources said. The attack claimed the lives of five civilians, including three women and a child, while four others sustained serious injuries.
Those injured were immediately shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment.
The sources added that security and rescue teams are currently removing debris, providing relief, and conducting search operations in the affected area.
The recent violence followed a series of counter-terrorism operations by security forces. In the last two days, 22 terrorists have been killed in KP, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed.
According to the military’s media wing, 13 India-backed terrorists were eliminated during two intelligence-based operations targeting reported militant hideouts in the Bara area of Khyber District and Bannu on April 1.
A day later, eight India-sponsored terrorists were neutralised along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in North Waziristan District.
Pakistan witnessed a surge in terror activities, particularly in its KP and Balochistan provinces, since 2021, when the Afghan Taliban came into power.
Pakistan had launched “Operation Ghazab lil-Haq”, in which approximately 684 Afghan Taliban operatives and allied militants were killed. More than 900 were injured, and 252 militant checkposts were destroyed, according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
In October 2025, border clashes erupted after the Afghan Taliban and affiliated militants launched unprovoked attacks on Pakistani border posts. Over 200 Taliban fighters and allied militants were killed, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred defending the country.
Despite several rounds of talks, both countries have been unable to reach an agreement, largely due to the Afghan Taliban regime’s reluctance to take action against terrorist outfits.
