Five soldiers and at least 13 civilians, including women and children, were killed in a twin suicide bombing Tuesday that targeted a military compound in northwestern Pakistan, according to the military.
The attack in Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province injured at least 32 others, the military’s media wing, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement Wednesday.
“The assailants sought to breach the cantonment’s security,” the ISPR said. “The attackers rammed two explosive-laden vehicles into the perimeter wall,” after the security forces responded to the intrusion.
The military said five soldiers died in the ensuing gun battle that killed 12 militants. Four suicide bombers were also killed.
Most of the civilian casualties occurred as buildings, including a mosque and a residential compound, collapsed with the force of the blasts.
“The multiple suicide blasts resulted in the partial collapse of the perimeter wall, causing damage to the adjacent infrastructure,” ISPR said.
The Associated Press reported that a relatively lesser-known militant group, Jaish Al-Fursan, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The military said Afghan nationals were involved in the attack. It said ring leaders of the Khawarij, an Arabic term the military uses to describe fighters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban, planned and executed the attack from Afghanistan.
The U.S. and U.N. both list Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan as a terrorist organization.
The military again urged the Afghan Taliban to take action against anti-Pakistan militants.
“Pakistan expects the Interim Afghan government to uphold its responsibilities and deny its soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan,” ISPR said.
The Afghan Taliban deny providing sanctuary to regional militants.
Militants have targeted Bannu several times. Last November, a suicide car bomb killed 12 troops and wounded several others at a security post.
In July, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle and other militants opened fire near the outer wall of the military facility.
Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent years with the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and its affiliates frequently targeting security personnel in the northwestern province.
The country also saw a sharp increase in civilian casualties from militant violence in February 2025, according to the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, or PICSS.
At least 55 civilians and 47 security personnel died in 79 militant attacks across the country. At least 44 of those attacks occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
February marked the first month since August 2024 when civilian fatalities surpassed those of security forces, PICSS reported.
At least 156 militants were killed last month in security operations.
Close to 1,200 people, including almost 1,000 civilians and security personnel, were killed in militant attacks across Pakistan in 2024 — a 40% increase in militant attacks compared to 2023, according to data compiled by the think tank.
The Associated Press provided some information for this report.
