Pakistan‘s security forces foiled a militant attack on a military facility in Bannu, northwest Pakistan, on Monday 15 July morning, according to Pakistani media reports.
Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) reported that several armed insurgents attempted to enter the cantonment by detonating an explosive-laden vehicle near the outer wall of the facility.
Locals told reporters that they had heard sounds of an explosion before sunrise, as thick black smoke was seen rising from the described area.
“When we came to town, we heard gunshots in the cantonment. There were sounds of explosions, and smoke was rising,” said Tariq Ali Shah, a local businessman.
Roads surrounding the facility were littered with fragments of glass from shattered windows of several nearby buildings that were impacted by the explosion.
There was no immediate comment on the attacks from Pakistan’s government or military.
23 Pakistani soldiers were killed in December 2023 when terrorists attacked a Pakistani military post in Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. This was one of the deadliest attacks that Pakistani military has faced. The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been restive for decades. It also borders other restive provinces like Baluchistan, and the territory of Gilgit Baltistan.
Pakistanis also have a problem along their border with Afghanistan, with the Afghans not recognising the Durand Line.
Though the terror group responsible for the current attack has not been identified, the TTP is most active in the area. The group has bases across in Afghanistan and operates from its bases.
Pakistan will have to holistically address the terror issue in its own backyard. There has been an increase in terror activities in the Jammu region of India, too. These activities have mostly been undertaken by handlers across the Line Of Control between India and Pakistan.
Team BharatShakti
(With Inputs from Reuters)
