Islamabad: A troubling incident unfolded early Monday in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where at least eight security personnel and nine civilians sustained injuries in an attack near a military cantonment area.

According to official sources, the attack occurred around 4:45 a.m. local time (2345 GMT) in Bannu district. A suicide bomber targeted a vehicle at the military's oil terminal near one of the cantonment gates, accompanied by three to four accomplices who entered the area by lobbing hand grenades. Sources, speaking anonymously to Xinhua, provided these details.

Security forces swiftly responded, neutralizing one attacker, while a comprehensive search and clearance operation is currently underway in the vicinity, the sources confirmed.

Among the injured civilians, including a police official, many suffered from shattered glass fragments from nearby residences and have been transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

"The exact count of injured troops is yet to be confirmed, but eight, including an officer, have been transferred to a military hospital within the district," the sources added.

As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which underscores ongoing security challenges in the region.

The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, operate independently but maintain an alliance with the Afghan Taliban. Since the Afghan Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan in 2021, the TTP has intensified its assaults on Pakistani security forces.

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