Pakistan: Car bomb attack at checkpoint kills 12

Militants detonated a car bomb at a police checkpoint in Bannu, northwestern Pakistan, and opened fire on officers, killing at least 12 people, authorities said Sunday.

The attack took place late Saturday in the Fateh Khel area. Images from the scene showed the checkpoint reduced to rubble, with bricks, charred debris, and mangled vehicles scattered across the area.

"Last night in the Fateh Khel area of Bannu, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police checkpoint, after which multiple militants entered the post," Bannu police official Muhammad Sajjad Khan said.

He said 12 officers were dead and one was missing. 

Deadly checkpoint assault

An officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that other law enforcement personnel had been sent to help the police but that the terrorists had ambushed them, causing some of the casualties.

"During the assault, the militants used quadcopters along with heavy weaponry," a senior administrative official in Bannu told AFP.

"In addition, while retreating, the attackers took police personnel and weapons from the station with them," he added.

Rising militancy and regional tensions

The attack was the latest in the border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, amid a wave of militancy that hasstrained ties between Islamabad and Kabul. Bannu, has been gripped by militant activity due to its proximity to the borderwith Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government has denied Pakistani accusations that it provides safe haven to militant groups.

In recent months, the strained diplomatic ties have spiraled into armed conflict, including Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan cities. 

Edited by: Louis Oelofse