At least 8 Pakistani soldiers killed in military base suicide attack

The Hafiz Gul Bahadur armed group, which operates out of Afghanistan, claims responsibility for the deadly assault.

At least eight Pakistani soldiers have been killed in an attack after suicide bombers rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into a perimeter wall at a military base.

Rebels attacked the army outpost in Bannu, on the border with the tribal area of North Waziristan. In a statement on Tuesday, the military said soldiers killed all 10 assailants involved in the assault.

“This timely and effective response … prevented major catastrophe saving precious innocent lives,” it added.

Among the dead in Monday’s attack were seven army members and one paramilitary soldier.

“Pakistan Armed Forces will … take all necessary measures as deemed appropriate against these threats emanating from Afghanistan,” the military said.

The attack was claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur armed group, under the Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, which the army said operates out of neighbouring Afghanistan to “orchestrate acts of terrorism inside Pakistan”.

The British colonial-era base has historically been used as a launchpad for counterinsurgency operations and is surrounded by civilian homes, which were shaken by Monday’s blast, Reuters news agency reported quoting two unnamed local officials.

The initial blast took down the perimeter wall, allowing the other fighters to enter the base.

An unnamed local official also told AFP news agency that 141 people were wounded after fighters wearing suicide vests “infiltrated the residential area”. They fought battles with guns and rocket-propelled grenades for 26 hours.

On Tuesday morning, suspected TTP fighters carried out another attack in Dera Ismail Khan, a district close to Bannu,