Photo: Reuters/Ehsan Khattak

A car bombing at a police post in northwestern Pakistan, followed by an ambush on officers who arrived to provide backup, killed at least 12 police personnel on Saturday, according to police officials.

Images from the scene showed the police structure completely destroyed, with bricks, burned wreckage, and damaged vehicles scattered across the area,  News.Az reports, citing J Post.

Police official Sajjad Khan said the bodies of 12 officers were recovered from the collapsed outpost, while three surviving personnel were rescued and taken to hospital for treatment.

A police official, speaking anonymously, said militants rammed an explosives-filled vehicle into the post before entering the premises and opening fire on remaining officers. Additional law enforcement personnel sent to assist were later ambushed by the attackers, causing further casualties.

Police sources said drones were also used during the assault.

Ambulances from rescue agencies and civil hospitals arrived at the scene shortly after the attack, while authorities declared a state of emergency in government hospitals in Bannu.

A militant alliance known as Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack.

The assault comes amid continuing tensions along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. Heavy fighting between the two sides erupted in February after Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, which Islamabad said targeted militant strongholds.

Although clashes have since decreased, occasional skirmishes continue along the border and no official ceasefire has been reached.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban of allowing militants to use Afghan territory to organize attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban has denied the accusations, describing militancy in Pakistan as an internal issue.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova