Car bomb attack and ambush in northwest Pakistan kill at least 21 police

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 official Zahid Khan told The Associated Press news agency 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, he said.

Images after the attack on Saturday showed the police post had been reduced to rubble, with bricks, charred wreckage, and mangled vehicles scattered around the area.

“A vehicle laden with explosives attacked the police checkpoint,” said Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder.

“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.

The Reuters news agency, citing security officials, reported that after the bombing, there was an ambush on police personnel rushing ⁠to the scene to provide backup.

“Other law enforcement personnel were sent to help the police, but the terrorists ambushed them and caused some casualties,” a police official told Reuters.

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.

Ambulances from ⁠rescue agencies and civil hospitals were dispatched to the scene, with officials saying a state of emergency has been declared in government hospitals in Bannu.

Attacks may reignite fighting along Afghan border

The worst fighting in years erupted ⁠between the allies-turned-foes in February, with Pakistani air attacks inside Afghanistan that Islamabad said targeted fighters’ strongholds.

Fighting has since eased, with occasional skirmishes breaking out along the border, but no official ceasefire ‌has been brokered.

Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring armed groups who use Afghan soil to plot attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban has denied the allegations and ‌said ‌armed rebellion in Pakistan is an internal problem.

The Pakistan Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and allied fighter groups have carried out similar attacks in the past. The Pakistan Taliban is a separate group but is ideologically aligned with the Taliban in Afghanistan, which seized power in the country in 2021.