BANNU, Pakistan—Thousands of mourners filled the streets of Bannu on Wednesday for the funerals of 18 people, including six children, killed in a suicide bombing targeting a military installation in the northwestern town.
The attack, carried out on Tuesday by more than a dozen militants, involved two explosive-laden vehicles that were driven into a military base, the Pakistani military said in a statement.
The military said the multiple suicide blasts caused a partial collapse of the compound’s outer wall, damaging nearby buildings, including a mosque and a residential complex.
At least 13 civilians and five soldiers were killed, according to the military. Muhammad Nauman, a spokesperson for a local hospital, confirmed that six children were among the dead and that 36 others were wounded.
The military added that 16 militants, including four suicide bombers, were killed in the attack.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Pakistan has faced a surge in militant attacks in recent months, particularly from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an offshoot of the Afghan Taliban that has targeted security forces in border regions.
Nauman said several civilian casualties were trapped under collapsed structures, with rescue teams searching for survivors in the rubble.
The attack marks another escalation in violence in Pakistan’s northwestern region, where security forces have been battling insurgent groups amid deteriorating relations with the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
