Suicide Bomber Kills Eight Soldiers in Pakistan

Eight Pakistani soldiers died when a suicide bomber drove a vehicle packed with explosives into a military complex in a volatile region of northwestern Pakistan, the army announced today.

The attack took place in the city of Bannu, in the mountainous province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan and has long been a hotbed for militant Islamist groups.

The attack comes a few weeks after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the launch of a new campaign to eradicate radical groups.

The attack targeted a complex that housed military installations where soldiers were accompanied by their families, according to sources cited by the French agency AFP.

Initially, 10 militants tried to enter the compound, according to the Pakistani army, which said it thwarted the attack.

During the action, which lasted 26 hours, the militants drove a "vehicle loaded with explosives against the perimeter wall."

The explosion killed eight members of the security forces and damaged an annex building.

The 10 assailants were killed in the clashes that followed the attack, according to the army, which did not specify the number of injured.

A local administration official told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that 141 people were injured after five fighters wearing vests loaded with explosives "infiltrated the residential area".

The attack was claimed by the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group, which said in a statement that "significant damage was inflicted."

The Pakistani army accused the group of "operating from Afghanistan and using Afghan soil to orchestrate acts of terrorism in Pakistan."

Attacks have increased in Pakistan since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

As of 2023, more than 1,500 civilians, members of the security forces and Islamist militants have been killed in Pakistan.

This is the highest number in the last six years, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies, based in Islamabad, the capital of the Asian country.

Islamabad accuses the Taliban of having failed to eliminate the militants who are taking refuge on Afghan soil to prepare attacks against Pakistan.

The Taliban government denies the Pakistani accusations.