Checkpoint Annihilation
A car bomb attack on a police checkpoint in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killed at least 15 people. The attack occurred late Saturday in the Fateh Khel area, where militants detonated an explosives-laden vehicle. Bannu police official Muhammad Sajjad Khan said a suicide bomber rammed the vehicle into the checkpoint, after which more than 100 militants entered the post. The checkpoint was reduced to rubble, with bricks, charred debris, and mangled vehicles scattered across the area.
Militant Tactics
During the assault, militants used quadcopters along with heavy weaponry, according to a senior administrative official in Bannu. The attackers also took police personnel and weapons from the station as they retreated. Other law enforcement personnel were sent to help the police, but the terrorists ambushed them, causing some of the casualties, according to an unnamed officer.
Claim of Responsibility
A newly formed militant group, Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to reporters. Authorities accuse the group of being a front for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a separate group but an ally of the Afghan Taliban.
Rising Tensions
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack. He stated that "terrorists operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan under the Taliban administration and supported externally are targeting civilians and law enforcement personnel in Pakistan." Zardari vowed to target "their facilitators and sponsors." Pakistan often accuses Afghanistan's Taliban government of providing sanctuary to the TTP, a claim that Kabul denies. Tensions between the two neighbors have persisted, and both sides have engaged in fighting that has killed hundreds of people since late February.
Funerals Held
Hundreds gathered Sunday at the police headquarters in Bannu to attend the funerals of the slain officers. Uniformed colleagues stood in silence as coffins draped in the national flag were carried past grieving families. Rescuers conducted an hourslong search operation using heavy machinery to retrieve bodies from under the rubble, said senior police official Sajjad Khan. Three police officers were wounded in the attack. Security forces have launched an operation to track down the perpetrators.
