Dera Ismail Khan (Pakistan): Thousands of people gathered at Bannu in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday for the funeral of 13 civilians and five soldiers killed in twin suicide attacks on the main cantonment on Tuesday. There were six children among those killed. At least two women are among the dead.
The Pakistan Army claimed that it succeeded in neutralizing at least six terrorists who entered the cantonment after the attacks, but there was no confirmation of this.
Doctors at the local hospital said that 36 people have been injured. Rescuers maintain that some people may still be trapped under the debris that is yet to be fully cleared. There is possibility of the death toll rising, one of them told the media.
Bannu is located in the troubled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, about 200 km south west of Peshawar. On Tuesday, two explosives laden vehicles rammed into the outer wall of the heavily guarded contonment, resulting in casualties and heavy damage to property nearby.
A mosque in the vicinity also collapsed due to the impact. The attack took place around sunset when a large number of people had gathered there for evening prayers, it being the Holy month of Ramadan. A little known outfit, which calls itself Jaish Al Fursan, took responsibility for the attack. This group is apparently one of the several factions of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
The Pakistan Army said that all routes leading to and out of the cantonment have been sealed and operations will continue till all the terrorists are neutralised. The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the strike and sought a report.
“Such incidents are highly condemnable, particularly during this Holy month,” he said.
According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, terror-related violence has gone up by at least 42% in January 2025 as compared to December 2024. It’s report reveals that at least 74 terror strikes were reported nationwide in January, leading to 91 deaths. Of those killed were 20 civilians and 35 security personnel.
