Islamabad, July 15 (IANS): At least eight security personnel and nine civilians have been injured in an attack in the cantonment area of the Pakistani military in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, official sources said.

The incident took place at about 4.45 a.m. local time in Bannu district of the province where a suicide bomber crashed into a vehicle of the military's oil terminal at one of the cantonment's gates while his three to four accomplices managed to enter the area by hurling hand grenades, according to sources who spoke to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, reports Xinhua news agency.

One of the attackers has been killed by security officials. A search and clearance operation is underway in the area, the sources added.

The civilians including a police official were injured by shattered glass from nearby houses and have been taken to a hospital.

"The exact number of injured troops have yet to be ascertained, but eight of them including an officer have been shifted to a military hospital in the district," the sources added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.