A terrorist attempt to blow up a bridge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district failed on Tuesday after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated prematurely during installation, police said. According to Amir Khan, spokesperson for the District Police Office, two terrorists had planned to target Doghoda Bridge when the device exploded, killing one of them instantly.
The second terrorist sustained injuries and managed to escape the scene, the spokesperson added. Police teams immediately reached the area, secured the site and began collecting forensic evidence. Authorities have also initiated the identification process of the deceased attacker.
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A search operation is currently under way to trace the injured fugitive, officials said. The incident comes roughly a month after security forces thwarted an attack on the Baka Khel police station in Bannu, where terrorists affiliated with Fitna-al-Khawarij — the state’s term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — were forced to retreat after police detected their movement and opened fire.
Earlier in October, three terrorists were killed in a separate late-night attack on a police checkpost in the district. Bannu, along with other parts of KP and Balochistan, has seen a resurgence in militant activity over the past two years following the TTP’s decision to end its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.
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Pakistan has faced a steady spike in terrorist incidents since then, with security forces, police personnel and law enforcement agencies repeatedly targeted in attacks across the region.