RAWALPINDI, November 20, 2024: In a deadly assault on a military checkpost in the Mali Khel area of Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, twelve security personnel were martyred, while six terrorists were killed in an ensuing gunfight.
The attack took place on Monday and is part of an alarming rise in violence targeting security forces, law enforcement agencies, and checkpoints, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
According to the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a group of militants attempted to attack a Joint Check Post in Mali Khel.
Read More: Six Terrorists Killed in North Waziristan Operation
Although the initial assault was successfully repelled, a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the checkpost.
The explosion caused the collapse of the wall and damaged nearby infrastructure, resulting in the martyrdom of 10 soldiers and two personnel from the Frontier Constabulary.
The ISPR statement confirmed that six militants, referred to as “khwarij,” were killed in the subsequent firefight.
Despite the loss of life, the attack was effectively thwarted, and the attackers were unable to breach the post.
This attack follows a series of similar incidents in the restive Bannu district, which has seen an increase in militant activity.
Just a day earlier, on November 18, a group of policemen was abducted from a checkpost near the border with North Waziristan but was safely recovered through the efforts of the police and local tribal elders.
Read More: Security Forces Kill 9 Terrorists in Northwest Pakistan: ISPR
The military vowed that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice, and a sanitization operation is currently underway.
The ISPR also reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to eliminating terrorism, stressing that the sacrifices of the brave security personnel would only strengthen the resolve to combat militancy in the region.
Over the past week, more than a dozen security personnel have been martyred in various attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
