Suicide Bombing in Pakistan Kills 11 Security Forces, TTP Claims Responsibility

PESHAWAR – At least 11 security personnel were killed and several others wounded in a suicide bombing on Tuesday evening in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The bomber detonated an explosive-laden vehicle at a security post, marking one of the deadliest attacks in recent months.

The attack was claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). The government has not yet commented, but security forces are reportedly conducting operations to apprehend those responsible.

Since November 2022, violence has surged in Pakistan, with the TTP escalating attacks after ending a ceasefire with the government. The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 has emboldened the TTP, with many of its leaders based in Afghanistan. In December 2023, another suicide attack killed 23 people in Dera Ismail Khan.

In response to the ongoing violence, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a comprehensive military operation against separatist groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army, following a deadly attack in Quetta earlier this month. Over 900 security forces have died in militant attacks since 2022.