At least two Pakistani Army personnel, including a lieutenant colonel, and five militants were killed on Saturday after a bomber riding an explosive-laden motorcycle rammed into a security convoy in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said.
The incident occurred near the Afghan border during an ongoing counterterrorism operation.
According to the army, the attack took place in Bannu district, where security forces were engaged in an operation against armed militants.
The military said five militants, including the attacker described as a suicide bomber, were killed in the ensuing exchange.
The army said the bomber was intercepted by the lead security team before he could reach civilian areas or law enforcement personnel, preventing what it described as a potentially large-scale attack.
In its statement, the military referred to the militants as “khawarij", a term it uses for banned extremist groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan of sheltering TTP fighters, an allegation Kabul has consistently denied.
The attack comes amid heightened tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, following a brief military confrontation between the two sides in October last year.
Bannu has emerged as a key hotspot for militant violence in recent years, with frequent attacks targeting security forces and police installations.
The district has witnessed suicide bombings, ambushes and armed assaults, reflecting a broader surge in militant activity across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the TTP ended its ceasefire with the Pakistani government in late 2022.
Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News
