One person was killed and four others were injured in a quadcopter attack in Bannu’s Bakakhel Customs area on Tuesday. Police blamed terrorists linked to Fitna al-Khawarij for targeting civilians with an explosive device. The attack has raised fresh security concerns in the district.
According to Bannu Regional Police Officer Rab Nawaz Khan, the attackers dropped an explosive shell from a quadcopter within the limits of Baka Khel Police Station. The blast killed Khatirullah, son of Gul Bahadur, at the scene. The injured were identified as Saifullah, Asal Jan, Ameerullah and Shakir, who were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for treatment.
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The regional police officer said security forces had recently foiled several quadcopter attacks targeting police and security installations. He said anti-drone guns and enhanced security measures had prevented attacks on sensitive locations. Following those failures, he claimed the attackers shifted their focus to unarmed civilians to spread fear and panic.
A heavy police contingent reached the site immediately after the explosion and sealed off the area. Authorities launched a search operation to trace and arrest those responsible for the attack. Khan condemned the assault, calling those who targeted innocent civilians enemies of humanity, and vowed to bring them to justice.
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The incident comes days after two terrorist attacks in Bannu on July 1. Militants damaged a government girls’ school with explosives in Hassan Khel, while security forces safely defused another explosive device planted beneath a bridge in Jani Khel before it could detonate.