Suicide bomber attacks police station in Pakistan, killing 23 officers and wounding 32

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle at the main gate of a police station in northwest Pakistan early Tuesday, killing at least 23 soldiers and wounding 32 others, and causing part of the building to collapse after the impact, military and officials said.

The suicide attack, one of the deadliest since January, caused “multiple casualties,” Pakistan’s military said in a statement.

He added that six militants also opened fire and a gunfight lasted for hours between them and the security forces before “the terrorists” were shot dead.

Local police officers also confirmed that all six attackers were dead.

Furthermore, the statement said that “troops killed 27 insurgents” in multiple operations in the same region.

The death toll from Tuesday’s attack is likely to rise as some of the officers are in critical condition, authorities said.

Police officers examine damage at the site of a bomb attack at a police station on the outskirts of Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, Dec. 12, 2023. AP

The bodies of the 23 slain security force members were taken to a hospital, Mohammad Adnan, a senior police official, told reporters.

The attack targeted the Daraban police station in Dera Ismail Khan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan, local police officer Kamal said.

The province is a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban militant group, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.

The newly formed militant group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, or TJP, believed to be an offshoot of the TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying it targeted officers at the police station.

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The statement also stated that 20 officers were killed. However, this could not be independently verified.

An increased number of security forces from across the country have had a constant presence of late at the Daraban police station, where they were carrying out intelligence operations against militants in the area with the help of local police, Khan said.

The suicide attack caused “multiple casualties,” Pakistan’s military said in a statement. AP

The president of Pakistan, Arif Alvi, denounced the attack and conveyed his condolences to the families of those who were “martyred.”

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In a statement, he said that “their sacrifices would not be in vain” and that such attacks cannot weaken the resolve of the security forces.

Pakistan’s acting interior minister Sarfraz Bugti denounced the attack in a statement, calling it an act of terrorism.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed a rise in violence with several deadly raids by terrorists this year.

In January, at least 101 people were killed, mostly police officers, when a suicide bomber disguised as a police officer attacked a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

The Pakistani Taliban has intensified attacks on security forces since 2022.

Authorities say insurgents have become emboldened while living openly in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over that country in 2021.

The attack targeted the Daraban police station in Dera Ismail Khan, while the bodies of 23 slain security forces were being taken to a hospital. AP

The TTP, although a separate group, is closely allied with the Afghan Taliban.

Dera Ismail Khan is located near South Waziristan, a former sanctuary for militants.

Pakistan’s military carried out multiple operations against terrorists there after some attacked an army-run school, killing more than 150 people, mostly schoolchildren, in 2014.

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Source: vtt.edu.vn

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