2 civilians martyred as Afghan suicide bomber targets security forces’ convoy in Bannu: ISPR

• Suicide bombing had occurred in Bakka Khel area of Bannu District.
• Suicide bomber belonged to TTP's Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group. 
• Sanitisation operation being carried out in area.

RAWALPINDI: At least two civilians were martyred while 10, including three soldiers, sustained injuries when an Afghan suicide bomber, affiliated with Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, attacked a security forces’ convoy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu District, said the military’s media wing on Monday.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), shared that the unfortunate incident occurred on Sunday in the Bakka Khel area when a motorcycle-borne suicide bomber exploded himself.

Out of the injured, the ISPR said, seven were civilians while three were soldiers. It added that the sanitisation operation was being carried out in the area to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area.

“Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave civilians and soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” said the ISPR.

The group behind the bombing is a faction of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Pakistan has faced a surge in terrorism in recent months, with the TTP and other militant outfits intensifying their actions against security forces.

In response, the state has also launched operations to curb terrorism.

Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), in a report released in October, noted that the security forces lost at least 386 personnel in the first nine months of 2023, marking an eight-year high.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were the primary centres of violence, accounting for nearly 94% of all fatalities and 89% of attacks (including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations) recorded during this period.

Furthermore, Pakistan has blamed Afghanistan for the rising terrorism and Islamabad has been consistently pointing out the use of US-made weapons by terrorists involved in attacks in the country.

In September of this year, the Foreign Office had expressed concerns over the "advanced weapons" being used by the terrorists in Afghanistan to attack Pakistan and its security agencies.

"These modern weapons have fallen into the hands of terrorists in Afghanistan who are using these [weapons] to attack Pakistan and its security agencies," said FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in a weekly briefing.

She said the situation needs international attention and called upon all stakeholders to assume the responsibility that they have in this regard.

Similarly, the failure of the Afghan Taliban to take action against the terrorists attacking Pakistan has led Islamabad to launch a drive for the expulsion of illegal aliens.

More than 300,000 people have returned to Afghanistan since Islamabad ordered 1.7 million Afghans it says living illegally in Pakistan to leave or face deportation.