8 soldiers, 10 terrorists killed in suicide attack and clash in northwest Pakistan

At least eight soldiers and 10 suspected terrorists were killed in a clash, which included a suicide bombing, in northwest Pakistan, the military said on Tuesday.

A group of heavily-armed terrorists stormed the cantonment area in the Bannu district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the early hours of Monday before a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the area.

“The attempt to enter the cantonment was effectively thwarted by the security forces personnel, which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the cantonment,” the military said in a statement.

The suicide blast, it added, led to the collapse of a portion of the wall and damaged the adjoining infrastructure, resulting in the killing of eight troops.

In the ensuing operation, troops effectively engaged the attackers, killing all 10 suspected terrorists, the statement added.

The army pointed a finger at the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), “which operates from Afghanistan and has used Afghan soil to orchestrate acts of terrorism inside Pakistan in the past as well.”

“Pakistan has consistently raised its concerns with the interim Afghan government, asking them to deny persistent use of Afghan soil by the terrorists and take effective action against such elements,” the statement said.

Islamabad accuses “Afghanistan-based” TTP terrorists of carrying out terrorist attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul rejects the allegation.