At least 12 police officers were killed in northwestern Pakistan after a car bomb targeted a police post, followed by an ambush on officers responding to the scene, authorities said on Sunday.
Photographs taken after Saturday’s attack showed the police outpost completely destroyed, with debris, burned wreckage, shattered bricks, and damaged vehicles spread across the area.
In a statement, police official Sajjad Khan confirmed that the bodies of 12 officers had been recovered from the collapsed building, while three surviving personnel were rescued and taken to hospital for treatment.
A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said militants drove an explosives-laden vehicle into the post before storming the compound and opening fire on officers who survived the initial blast.
“Other law enforcement personnel were sent to help the police, but the terrorists ambushed them and caused some casualties,” he said.
According to police sources, the attackers also deployed drones during the assault.
Emergency teams and ambulances from rescue agencies and civil hospitals were dispatched to the area, while authorities declared a state of emergency at government hospitals in Bannu to handle the casualties.
The militant alliance Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen later claimed responsibility for the attack.
The assault has raised concerns over renewed instability along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, where tensions have remained high in recent months. In February, the most intense fighting in years erupted between the neighboring countries after Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, which Islamabad said targeted militant hideouts.
Although hostilities have since reduced, sporadic clashes continue along the border, and no formal ceasefire agreement has been reached.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Kabul of providing sanctuary to militants who allegedly launch attacks from Afghan territory into Pakistan.
The Taliban administration has rejected the accusations, insisting that militancy in Pakistan is a domestic issue.
