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12 Pak Army soldiers killed in suicide car bomb attack in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, claimed responsibility for the attack
At least 12 Pakistan Army soldiers were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a joint checkpost in general area Malikhel.
According to Pakistan Army's media wing Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), “The terrorists attempted to attack a joint check post in general area MaliKhel in Bannu district late on Tuesday night but their attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted by troops.”
“The suicide blast led to collapse of portion of perimeter wall and damaged the adjoining infrastructure, resulting in the death of “12 brave sons of soil” including 10 soldiers of the security forces and two soldiers of the Frontier Constabulary,” PTI quoted the ISPR statement.
The Pakistan Army said six “terrorists” were killed in gunbattle. The PTI report stated that the injured have been admitted to a local hospital.
A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, claimed responsibility for the attack, AP reported.
"Sanitization operation is being conducted in the area and the perpetrators of this heinous act will be brought to justice," the statement said.
Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa witness surge in violent incidents
There has been an increase in terror-related incidents in Pakistan, including Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
Earlier this month, 25 people including 14 Pakistan Army soldiers were killed at a railway station blast in Quetta on November 9. The explosion hit as passengers waited on a platform at the main railway station in the Balochistan capital.
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The Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) has said that a third quarter of 2024 witnessed a 90 per cent surge in violence in Pakistan.
On Wednesday, Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif announced a new military offensive against separatists in southwestern Balochistan province, which borders Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is home to key Chinese Belt and Road projects, after a spate of attacks in the area.
(With agency inputs)
