Twelve security personnel were killed in a suicide attack in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The army said on Wednesday that twelve security personnel and six terrorists were killed in a suicide attack that drove an explosives-laden vehicle into a joint check post in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The terrorists tried to attack a joint checkpoint at MaliKhel in Bannu district, but their attempt to enter the checkpoint was successfully thwarted by soldiers, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army.

The suicide blast led to the collapse of part of the perimeter wall and destruction of adjacent infrastructure, resulting in the death of “12 brave sons of the earth”, including 10 security forces soldiers and two Border Police soldiers, the ISPR said. She added that six of them were also killed in the exchange of fire. The injured were taken to a local hospital.

Security forces and law enforcement agencies said they were determined to eliminate the threat of terrorism. Across the country, but particularly in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there has been a sharp increase in the number of terrorism-related incidents over the past year.

According to the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) think tank, there was a 90 percent increase in violence in Pakistan in the third quarter of this year, as reported earlier by local media.

The attack came a day after the country’s civilian and military leaders on Tuesday approved a “comprehensive military operation” against terrorist organizations in Balochistan, aimed at stemming the wave of militancy in the province that has seen several deadly attacks in recent months.

“The decision was made by the Federal Apex Committee, a high-powered civilian and military forum dedicated to combating terrorism. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the meeting, which was attended by federal ministers, chief ministers, army chief Gen. Syed Asim Munir and senior government officials, The Express Tribune reported.