Suicide attack kills 14 police officers in Pakistan
Collected Photo
At least 14 police officers were killed in a suicide attack on a security post in northwest Pakistan, authorities said early Sunday, as a breakaway faction linked to the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility.
According to senior police official Sajjad Khan, the attack occurred late Saturday in Bannu, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bordering Afghanistan. A suicide bomber, accompanied by several gunmen, rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the vicinity of the police post, triggering a fierce gun battle.
Some officers were killed during the exchange of fire, while others died after the force of the blast caused part of the building to collapse, Khan said. Rescue teams worked for hours using heavy machinery to recover bodies from the rubble. Three police officers were injured in the attack.
Security forces have launched a search operation to track down those responsible.
A newly emerged militant outfit, Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, claimed the attack in a statement circulated to journalists. The group says it is made up of splinter factions of the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistani authorities, however, allege the group is effectively a front for the TTP.
Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks in recent years, most of them attributed to the TTP, which is distinct from but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of sheltering TTP fighters—an allegation Kabul denies.
Strained relations between the two neighboring countries have persisted, with clashes along the border killing hundreds since late February. In early April, Afghan and Pakistani officials held peace talks mediated by China, but despite the discussions, sporadic cross-border violence has continued, albeit at a reduced intensity. (Source: nbcnews)