Nine individuals were killed and 16 were injured when two suicide-packed vehicles smashed into the wall of Bannu Cantonment in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday. Security forces also moved quickly to counter the attack, eliminating at least six insurgents who tried to attack the military complex.

The assault occurred in the early evening hours of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, about 200 km south of Peshawar. Police officials attested that the dual suicide bombings shattered the cantonment’s boundary, and extensive damage was done. A relatively obscure militant outfit, Jaish Al Fursan, linked with Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), accepted responsibility.

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Hospital officials have confirmed five civilian deaths from nearby structures, while four bodies were extracted from the wreckage of a nearby mosque where the blast took place. The wounded were transported to hospitals for treatment.

After the blasts, security personnel cordoned off all the main roads approaching the cantonment and restricted entry to the site of the blasts. Officials said at least five to six militants tried to enter the complex but were quickly eliminated.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur strongly condemned the attack, calling it a tragic act of violence, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. Expressing condolences to the victims’ families, he demanded a thorough investigation and a detailed report on the incident.

The brazen attack underscores the continued security threats in Pakistan’s northwestern region, where militant activity has increased in recent months. Security forces are on high alert as authorities press on with their investigation into the attack.