PM Shehbaz, Mohsin Naqvi condemn deadly Bannu police checkpost attack

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday strongly condemned the deadly terrorist attack on a police checkpost in Bannu and reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to eliminating terrorism from the country.

During a telephone conversation with Sohail Afridi, the prime minister expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the attack that targeted the Fateh Khel police post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

PM Shehbaz assured the provincial government that the federation would provide every possible assistance in the fight against terrorism and stressed that Pakistan remained determined to eradicate all forms of militancy.

Both leaders also paid tribute to Pakistan’s armed forces, security agencies and police personnel engaged in counterterrorism operations.

Separately, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the suicide attack and honoured the police officers who lost their lives in the assault.

The interior minister prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured personnel and said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police remained on the frontline in the war against terrorism.

He added that the sacrifices of fallen officers would always be remembered.

Earlier, AFP reported that militants detonated a car bomb at a checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan and opened fire on police, killing at least 15 and wounding three, officials said on Sunday.

"Last night in the Fateh Khel area of Bannu, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police checkpoint, after which multiple militants entered the post," Bannu police official Muhammad Sajjad Khan told AFP.

He said that 15 officers were confirmed martyred, the latest attack in the border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during a wave of militancy that has strained ties between Islamabad and Kabul.

Gunmen stormed the police checkpost after the car blast, opening fire, according to officials who said they also used small drones in the attack.

"During the assault, the militants used quadcopters along with heavy weaponry," a senior administrative official in Bannu told AFP on condition of anonymity.

He said more than 100 militants took part in the attack.

"In addition, while retreating, the attackers took police personnel and weapons from the station with them," he added.

Bannu has been gripped in recent years by militant activity that has grown across Pakistan's border regions.

The Taliban government in Kabul denies Pakistan's accusations that Afghan territory is a safe harbour for militants, but the frosty relationship has spiralled into deadly armed conflict, including Pakistani airstrikes on cities in Afghanistan in recent months.

Reporter: Awais Kiani