8 civilians wounded in 2 coordinated suicide attacks near a military facility in northwest Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle and at least one of his accomplices exploded his vest near the outer wall of a military facility in northwestern Pakistan early Monday, wounding eight civilians and damaging nearby homes, a local police official said.

Tahir Khan said security forces quickly responded to the “coordinated attack” and foiled an attempt by the insurgents to enter the sprawling military facility in the city of Bannu which mainly houses offices of the military and homes of security forces. He also said army helicopters and ground forces were still reaching the area to track more militants.

Local authorities said several soldiers were also wounded in the attacks.

There was no immediate comment from the government or military.

Bannu is in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The province has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent years. In January 2023 militants killed at least 101 people, mostly police officers, when a suicide bomber disguised as a policeman attacked a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but the suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban who have stepped up attacks on security forces across the country in recent months.

Pakistani Taliban — who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP — are a separate group but an ally of the Afghan Taliban. TTP has stepped up its attacks on security forces since the Afghan Taliban seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.