Islamabad, Mar. 4, (dpa/GNA) – A group of Taliban suicide bombers stormed a military garrison in Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 17 people in bombings and gunfire in an ongoing attack, officials said.
The militants first detonated explosive-filled vehicles at the entrances of a highly fortified camp in the north-western city of Bannu before more than a dozen attackers entered the compound, at least two intelligence sources told dpa.
At least six militants who stormed the compound were killed in the shoot-out with the security forces, a police official said.
Several civilians and security officials were trapped under the rubble of a mosque that collapsed in the vehicle bombing, the officials said.
The dead include 11 civilians, four soldiers and two police officers, the sources said, adding that they feared the death toll might rise.
At least 15 wounded people were brought to hospital and were being treated for bullet injuries and trauma, the intelligence officials said.
The security forces were still fighting at least eight militants who were holed up in a building inside the compound, the police officer said.
Blasts and gunfire could be heard from inside the premises, he said.
A group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban, who are different from their Afghan counterparts, has claimed the responsibility for the attack, saying all the militants were on a suicide mission.
Violence has surged in Pakistan in recent months as the country’s security forces have stepped up their offensives against the Taliban militants.
Islamabad said the Islamist militants were launching their attacks inside the country from their hideouts in the Afghan border regions and urged the Afghan Taliban to take action against them.
GNA