A car bombing at a police post, followed by an intense firefight, has killed at least 21 officers in northwestern Pakistan, according to police and security sources.
An alliance of armed groups known as the Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attack in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, late on Saturday.
Police officials told the media that a suicide bomber and several fighters detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a security post. Shortly after, multiple explosions were heard, and the security post collapsed from the impact of the blast.
Images after the attack on Saturday (9 May) showed the police post had been reduced to rubble, with bricks, charred wreckage, and mangled vehicles scattered around the area.
After that huge explosion, which demolished most of the building, there was an assault on the police checkpoint. At least 21 policemen were killed
Three wounded people remain hospitalised.
Pakistan Police sources said the attackers also used drones in the attack.
Pakistan’s Dawn news outlet reported that nearby civilian areas also suffered severe damage due to the blasts, and two civilians were wounded.
source: commonspace.eu with Al Jazeera (Doha) and agencies
