A suicide bombing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu District, affiliated with the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, killed at least two civilians and left 10 others injured, including three Pakistani soldiers, as reported by the military’s media wing on Monday.
According to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the suicide bomber responsible for the attack was identified as an Afghan national.
The tragic incident occurred in the Bakka Khel area on Sunday, where a motorcycle-borne suicide bomber detonated explosives.
Out of the wounded, seven were civilians, while three were soldiers, the ISPR stated. A sanitization operation is underway in the area to eliminate any remaining terrorists.
“The security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism, and such sacrifices of our brave civilians and soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” affirmed the ISPR.
The group responsible for the bombing is a faction of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorism in recent months, with the TTP and other militant outfits intensifying actions against security forces. In response, the state has launched operations to curb terrorism.
A report released by Pakistan’s Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in October highlighted that security forces lost at least 386 personnel in the first nine months of 2023, marking an eight-year high.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were identified as the primary centers of violence, contributing to nearly 94% of all fatalities and 89% of recorded attacks, encompassing incidents of terrorism and security forces operations during this period.
