An armed group used a car bomb to attack a Pakistani checkpoint and ambushed officers who arrived at the scene, killing 14 police officers and injuring several others.
On Sunday, 10 May 2026 GMT+7, Pakistani police reported a car bomb attack at a checkpoint in Bannu city, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in the northwest near the Afghanistan border, on the previous Saturday. This was followed by an ambush on officers rushing to the site, resulting in at least 14 police deaths.
The explosion caused buildings to collapse, vehicles to catch fire, and scattered debris from wrecked vehicles across the area.
Sajjad Khan, a Pakistani police officer, stated in a press release that the bodies of 14 officers were recovered from the collapsed checkpoint ruins, and three others were found alive and urgently taken to the hospital.
An anonymous police officer, unable to speak to the media, said the armed group rammed the checkpoint with a bomb-laden vehicle before storming the area and opening fire on the remaining officers.
He added, "Other law enforcement units sent to assist the police were also ambushed by the terrorists, causing further casualties." Sources also reported that the attackers used drones during the operation.
The armed alliance known as "Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen" claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Pakistan-Afghanistan border region remains tense following the fiercest fighting in years last February, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harboring militant groups that use Afghan territory to plan attacks on Pakistan.
The Taliban denied these allegations, stating that the insurgency issues in Pakistan are internal matters for Pakistan alone.
Since then, fighting has eased somewhat, with sporadic clashes along the border, but no formal ceasefire negotiations have taken place.
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Source:cna