Twelve killed in militant assault on Pakistan paramilitary base

Six security personnel and six militants were killed in a major assault on a paramilitary base in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, police said.

The attack in the town of Bannu began when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the compound’s boundary wall, allowing other gunmen to storm inside. The assault triggered a fierce gun battle that lasted about 12 hours.

Regional police chief Sajjad Khan confirmed that 16 security personnel and three civilians were also wounded. ‘Our forces fought bravely for about 12 hours,’ he said.

No group has claimed responsibility, but a police statement blamed Islamist militants. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the main group active in the border region with Afghanistan, has waged an insurgency against the state since 2007.

Authorities in Islamabad say militants use Afghan territory to plan and launch attacks, a charge the Taliban government in Kabul rejects.

Bannu lies near the porous frontier with Afghanistan, long a hub for armed groups operating on both sides of the border.

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