At least 12 people, including women and children, were killed in a twin suicide bombing Tuesday in a cantonment area in northwestern Pakistan.
The attack in Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province injured at least 32 others, sources confirmed. The death toll is expected to rise.
Militants detonated two explosive-laden vehicles in a busy market in the sprawling military compound. Most of the casualties occurred as nearby buildings collapsed with the force of the blasts.
At least six other militants were killed in the ensuing gun battle, sources said.
The Associated Press reported that a relatively lesser-known militant group Jaish Al-Fursan claimed responsibility for the attack.
Pakistan blames the wave of violence on militants based in Afghanistan. Islamabad accuses the Taliban interim government in Kabul of taking insufficient action to curb cross border militancy. The Afghan Taliban deny the charge.
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.
Pakistan 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.
In 2024, close to 1,200 people including almost 1000 civilians and security personnel were killed in militant attacks across Pakistan – a 40% increase in militant attacks compared to 2023, according to data compiled by the think tank.
Some information in this report came from The Associated Press.
