12 security personnel, 6 militants killed in suicide bombing, clashes in northwestern Pakistan

ISLAMABAD / KARACHI (AA) – At least 12 security personnel and six militants were killed in a suicide bombing and ensuing clashes in northwestern Pakistan, the army said on Wednesday.

A suicide bomber blew himself up near a security check post in the Mali Khan area of the Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province before an intense exchange of firing between the two sides.

“In the ensuing fire exchange, six ‘Khawarij’ (heretical outliers) were sent to hell. The attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted by our troops, which forced the ‘Khwarij’ to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the post,” the Pakistan Army said in the statement.

The suicide blast collapsed a portion of the perimeter wall and damaged the adjoining infrastructure, resulting “in shahadat (martyrdom) of 12 brave sons of the soil that include 10 soldiers of the security forces and two soldiers of the Frontier Constabulary,” the statement added.

The latest attack came after seven policemen who were kidnapped from the Bannu district a day before were said to have been safely recovered.

At least eight security personnel were also killed during fierce gun battles with militants over the weekend in the Tirah valley, bordering Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, the Pakistan army said eight militants were killed in clashes in the restive Tirah valley of the Khyber tribal district. However, the military didn’t confirm the killing of its soldiers in the fighting.​​​​​​​

Pakistan’s northern tribal belt bordering Afghanistan has experienced a surge in violence since the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan, which has emboldened several militant outfits.