Daijiworld Media Network – Islamabad
Islamabad, Jul 16: At least 14 Pakistani security personnel were killed after militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the Miryan police station in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, triggering a prolonged gun battle, according to official sources.
The deceased included eight police personnel and six other security officials. Several others sustained injuries and were admitted to Bannu Civil Hospital, where the condition of some victims was reported to be critical.
The attack began with a powerful vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) detonating at the Miryan police station, which also functioned as a joint security centre housing police, military personnel and members of a local peace committee.
The blast caused extensive damage to the facility and was followed by heavy gunfire as the attackers attempted to storm the compound. Security personnel engaged the militants in an exchange of fire that continued until late Wednesday night.
Despite the destruction caused by the explosion, the security forces prevented the attackers from overrunning the compound and successfully repelled the initial assault, officials said.
Reinforcements from the police and federal security forces were later deployed to the area. The compound was surrounded, and a clearance operation was launched to neutralise the remaining militants.
Militant outfit Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, alleging that the vehicle carried around 2.5 tonnes of explosives and caused widespread destruction inside the security complex. However, the claim could not be independently verified.
Intelligence sources, meanwhile, attributed the attack to militants linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Officials said the assault followed a tactic increasingly adopted by militant groups in the region, involving the use of a vehicle bomb to breach a security installation before launching an armed assault on the damaged facility.
Police stations and checkpoints in Pakistan's volatile border regions have frequently been targeted as they often possess fewer resources, armoured vehicles and rapid-response capabilities than military installations.
Authorities said personnel inside the Miryan police station managed to hold their ground until reinforcements arrived, preventing the militants from taking complete control of the facility.
The area remained under heavy security as clearance operations continued, while officials were yet to confirm the exact number of attackers involved.