A suicide car bombing at a security post in northwestern Pakistan has killed 12 troops

Associated Press

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — The military and officials say a suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden vehicle at a security post in northwestern Pakistan, killing 12 security forces. The attack happened Tuesday evening in Bannu, a district in restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where the Pakistani Taliban and other insurgents have stepped up attacks in recent months. The military said Wednesday troops responded to the attack and killed six insurgents. A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan has witnessed a steady increase in violence since November 2022, when the Pakistani Taliban ended a monthslong cease-fire with the government in Islamabad.