At least seven people were killed and three others injured in two explosions on Saturday in Bannu district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The two explosions occurred in Marka Bera, a semi-tribal mountainous area of Bannu’s Wazir sub-division, local media reported.
According to the Bannu District Police Officer (DPO) Yasir Afridi, a total of seven people were killed, and three others injured in the two blasts, leading Pakistani daily Dawn reported. He also said that security forces have reached the area, started the investigation into the incidents and collected evidence.
The police said in a statement that the two vehicles were targeted in “remote-controlled blasts” in the Phang Musa Khel area. A vehicle travelling towards Domel was targeted first, where five people were killed in the blast, while the vehicle was completely destroyed.
According to the eyewitnesses, a second blast occurred nearly a kilometre away from the first blast, which killed two people and destroyed the vehicle they were in. “Saturday’s incident highlights the persistent security challenges facing remote mountainous areas of Bannu and has raised concerns among residents regarding the safety of civilians travelling through the area,” the Dawn report detailed.
“Bannu district has been the scene of repeated security incidents in recent months, with both civilians and local security forces coming under attack amid a broader surge in militant violence,” it added. On June 12, a police constable was returning home after attending a gathering when he was attacked on Bannu-Miranshah Road.
As per initial reports, unidentified armed assailants opened fire on him when he was returning home. He suffered critical injuries and died on the spot. Earlier this month, the monthly security assessment released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) revealed that the security situation in Pakistan deteriorated in May, particularly due to an increase in militant attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The latest findings by PICSS showed an increase in militant attacks during May after a brief period of relative decline, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Dawn reported. The sharp rise in attacks, casualties, suicide bombings and kidnappings suggests that security challenges remain severe.