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A militant group linked with the Pakistani Taliban claimed
responsibility for the bombing in Bannu on Tuesday evening,
which also left 42 wounded, some of them critically.
It was the latest in a spate of violence, including suicide
bombings, that has hit the country in recent days.
The attack unfolded with two suicide bombers first blowing
themselves up first to breach the wall surrounding the base.
Most of the local residents were breaking their daylong fast
during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan or praying at a nearby
mosque.
The powerful blasts tore through walls and ripped off roofs and
also severely damaged the mosque. After the explosions, other
attackers stormed the compound and set off a firefight with the
troops.
A statement from the army's media department on Wednesday said
five soldiers and 16 militants were killed. It said the suicide
bombers “rammed two explosive-laden vehicles into the perimeter
wall" at the base.
Gunshots could still be heard early Wednesday as security forces
combed through the area, looking to clear it of any militants
involved in the attack. At the scene of the bombings, a
mechanical digger was clearing away rubble where homes used to
stand, and debris-covered prayer mats lay crumpled on the mosque
floor.
A day of mourning was being observed, said Bannu community elder
Alam Khan, and joint funeral prayers were to be held for the
victims at a sports complex in the area.
“All education institutions are closed,” Khan said. “Most shops
are also shut. Rescue workers have completed their operation by
recovering the bodies of three deceased worshippers who were
trapped under the collapsed roof of the mosque.”
Bannu is located in the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
that borders Afghanistan, and several armed groups are active
there. A group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban, Jaish Al-Fursan,
has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Militants have targeted Bannu several times. Last November, a
suicide car bomb killed 12 troops and wounded several others at
a security post. And in July, a suicide bomber detonated his
explosives-laden vehicle and other militants opened fire near
the outer wall of the military facility.
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