PESHAWAR: A calm dawn over Bannu was shattered around 5:10 am on Tuesday by a deafening bang, a powerful explosion that shook the city, which has been in the grip of terrorist attacks, mostly on law enforcement agencies.

Initially, even police were unaware of what actually had happened since it wasn’t any police installation this time but Federal Constabulary’s lines, some 1.2 kilometres north of Bannu Cantonment, was under attack.

According to military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, six soldiers were martyred and five terrorists were killed when attackers rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the FC lines.

The suicide blast resulted in partial collapse of the wall. Fierce gun battle between personnel of law enforcement agencies and militants continued for 12 hours.

Witnesses say dry fruit, energy drinks, water, and medicines were recovered from the attackers

Officials, however, said terrorists had other plans. “After collapse of the wall, militants went inside the FC lines, they ran towards the mosque and wanted to create hostage situation, but they were challenged by FC personnel at the security posts on the line’s rooftop,” they said.

“Smoke, was what I saw when I reached there. Not indiscriminate, but targeted or rather intermittent firing was going on inside the FC lines,” was the way Inspector Ibad Wazir explained the situation when a police’s team reached the blast site.

According to Wazir, attacks on police installations happen almost every day in Bannu, which is why once always finds a quick response team (QRF) of police ready round the clock.

He said all it took around 15 minutes or less to reach the spot and plan how to secure the building and save lives as most of the FC personnel were unarmed, either in the barracks or inside mosque while many were preparing to go to the mosque to offer Fajr prayers.

Wazir, however, said that FC personnel inside security posts at the line’s rooftop had done a great job by restricting movement of attackers towards the mosque and beyond the barracks, which would have resulted in dozens of casualties. He added that militants turned towards officers’ block.

Equipped with US M-16 A1 snipers with thermal visions installed and SMGs, terrorists were not wasting bullets. They would fire shots but not indiscriminately.

Eyewitness said that the attackers were highly trained. They never fired jointly as they wanted to save ammunition and stay longer, as evident from what was recovered from them, dry fruits, energy drinks, water, pills and injections. They were using Walkie Talkies to communicate with each other, they added.

The battle between the well-trained and well-equipped terrorists and law enforcement agencies continued but the number of attackers was still unknown as they would use multiple guns, their own guns including snipers and M-4, besides what they took from the martyred personnel.

“We would gun down one militant but the moment we would try to proceed towards where we had encircled them, another militant would start firing at us,” an officer, who was part of the operation, said.

District Police Officer Saleem Abbas Kulachi said that terrorists were firing from two different sides but they went according to their plan-- neutralise one side first and then go for the second side with full force, but with minimum number of personnel engaged against the attackers.

“We gunned down four militants but one, with debris all over his body, was still using his sniper,” he said. He added that the last attacker took some time since he was invisible but he too was ultimately shot dead.

Some senior officers said that terrorists had flown drone over the FC lines three days before the attack. A threat alert was also issued specifically for the FC lines.

Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan said that a high alert was in place and preventive measures were adopted that’s why terrorists failed to execute their plan. He said that recovery from attackers indicated that they had planned for longer stay.

He said not only the FC lines, but cantonment and police stations of Mirian, Town and Basyakhel besides the RPO’s compound were issued alerts of possible attack. He added that brave personnel foiled their attempt.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2025