12 Police Killed in Suicide Blast at Pakistan Post

At least 12 police officers were killed and several others wounded when militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police post in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said.

The attack occurred late Saturday at the Fateh Khel police post in Bannu district, bordering Afghanistan, around 8:55 p.m. local time. A suicide bomber detonated the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, estimated by the Bomb Disposal Squad to contain 1,200 to 1,500 kilograms of explosives. The blast reduced the outpost to rubble, destroyed an armored vehicle and damaged nearby buildings, according to police and administrative sources.

Following the explosion, militants stormed the site, opening fire from multiple directions and using quadcopter drones, officials reported. Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan stated that 18 officers were on duty at the time, with 12 bodies recovered and three survivors rushed to hospitals. Some accounts indicated the death toll could rise as rescue operations continued amid debris, with fears of additional casualties among responders ambushed during reinforcement efforts.

Authorities declared a state of emergency in Bannu hospitals,...