BANNU: Security forces foiled a terror attack in the Bannu Cantonment area on Monday, Radio Pakistan reported.
According to the report, the terrorists attempted to enter the heavily guarded camp area by detonating an explosives-laden vehicle on the road connecting the camp’s outer wall with a supply depot.
“The security forces foiled the terrorist attempt by intervening in time […] and launched a clearance operation,” the report said.
Local residents of the area told Dawn.com that they heard two explosions near the cantonment around 4.40am followed by gunshots. They said houses and shops located near the site of the blasts were damaged after the blasts, adding that they feared for casualties.
While the government is yet to release details of the casualties, a spokesperson for the government hospitals in Bannu, Muhammad Numan, told Dawn.com that eight people were injured in the attack.
“Naheed Bibi, 55, who was injured in the firing, was taken to Peshawar,” he said, adding that others with minor injuries were released after treatment.
“Three women were injured as a result of the firing, while debris from the blast also fell into their houses,” he added.
Other people who sustained injuries included Sawera Bibi, 25, Bakawar Bibi, 26, Jamila Bibi, 30, Sunbul, 9, Maria, 5, Esa, 3, and Anwar Ali, 9.
Pakistan has witnessed an increase in terrorist activities in the past year, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan after the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended a ceasefire with the government in November 2022.
Last week, Islamabad again ruled out any talks with the TTP and reiterated that Kabul must crack down on terrorists operating on its soil.
According to the annual security report released by the Center for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan recorded 1,524 violence-related deaths and 1,463 injuries in 789 terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism operations in 2023 – a record six-year high.
The main centers of violence were KP and Balochistan, accounting for more than 90 percent of all deaths and 84 percent of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and operations by security forces.
