Bannu police station attack, 6 Taliban bombers shot dead

Bannu – Police shot dead a group of six suicide bombers hours after they launched an audacious attack on a a police station in Bannu, a senior police officer said on Thursday.

Meanwhile a bomb blast killed at least three people in Orakzai tribal region. The group of six launched attack on police station in Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province at around 6:45 a.m.

Deputy Inspector general police, Nisar Tanoli, said that the police killed all the attackers during clashes. He said that a police officer was injured in the attack. Tanoli said the police foiled the attack that was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. The police officer said that all attackers were Uzbek nationals.

Giving details of the attack, tanoli said that that the attackers, equipped with heavy hand grenades and explosives, attacked the police station but the police quickly started resistance and launched a counter attack.

 Security forces were also called to reinforce the police, official sources said.

Spokesman for the banned Taliban group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Ehsanullah Ehsan said that four Taliban took part in the attack and confirmed that all died during clashes.

“TTP attacked the police station, they killed and injured scores of security personals and the siege of police station continued for more than four hours,” he said in a statement.

He said the attack was one of the series of revenge of nine Taliban who he claimed were killed by the security forces and their bodies were thrown near Miranshah, North Waziristan.

The attack occurred days after the Taliban offered conditional dialogue to the government.

Meanwhile a bomb blast killed at least three people in Orakzai tribal region on Thursday, officials said.

The blast in a crowded marketplace in Hasan Zu area of Orakzai agency also injured nine more people. The bomb exploded when the people were busy in shopping.

The injured were taken to a nearby hospital. Officials said that all those killed and injured were civilians.