Pakistan: Twin remote-controlled bombings kill seven in Bannu, officials warn of external terror handlers

The blasts

Two remote-controlled improvised explosive devices tore through a pickup truck and then rescuers in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on Saturday morning. The first IED struck a private vehicle carrying passengers in the Phang Musa Khel area at about 5:20 a.m. local time, said senior police officer Yasir Afridi. Five people died in that explosion.

“A private pick-up truck carrying passengers was targeted with a remote-controlled IED.”

As the injured were being rushed to hospital in a car, a second device exploded, killing two of the rescuers. Afridi put the total wounded at three, although some early reports mentioned five. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The victims

All the dead and injured belonged to the Hathi Khel tribe, whose members serve on a local peace committee that works to curb the influence of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. Police have not ruled out that the victims were deliberately targeted because of their anti-militant activities.

Official reaction

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif swiftly condemned the bombings. Sharif said the government remained committed to eliminating terrorism and would bring those responsible to justice. Zardari, in a post on X, warned against those enabling militant networks.

“He issued a clear warning to internal and external handlers of terrorism who are providing safe havens, logistical support and financial assistance to terrorist networks.”

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi described the attack as an act of barbarism. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a manhunt for the perpetrators.

A rising tide of violence

The twin blasts are the latest in a surge of militant attacks in Pakistan. Data cited by local media from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project show that such incidents rose from 658 in 2022 to 2,425 in 2025.

2022

658 incidents

2025

2425 incidents

Data from the article text

Although no group has claimed Saturday’s blasts, suspicion falls on the TTP, which is allied with the Afghan Taliban but operates separately. Islamabad says TTP leaders have found sanctuary across the border in Afghanistan, an accusation Kabul repeatedly denies.

Cross‑border tensions have escalated sharply. Pakistan carried out air strikes near the frontier this month that it says killed 26 Taliban fighters; Afghan authorities said 12 civilians died. The main border crossings have remained largely shut since violence intensified in October, freezing bilateral trade and restricting movement.