Peshawar, Pakistan – Web Desk: A detailed police report on the deadly attack on Fateh Khel police post in Bannu has revealed that the same post came under attack 18 times over the past five months before a devastating suicide bombing.
According to the report submitted by DIG Bannu Sajad Khan to the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO), militants finally carried out a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack after repeated failed attempts to breach the post.
The report states that on the night of 9 May at around 8:30 pm, militants detonated a vehicle loaded with an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 kilograms of explosives near the gate of the police post.
The blast killed 15 police personnel and injured three others, while also causing severe structural damage to the facility.
Officials said that following the explosion, attackers attempted to enter the post to seize equipment and supplies, but were repelled due to police resistance and exchange of fire.
Search operations later indicated that several attackers were either killed or injured during the engagement.
The report further highlights that all previous 18 attacks on the same post had been successfully repelled, with militants retreating after retaliatory fire.
Investigators have identified the group behind the attack and confirmed involvement of militants operating from Afghanistan, according to police sources.
The report underscores growing concerns over cross-border militancy and repeated targeting of security installations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
