Islamabad: A suicide bomber rammed his
explosives-laden vehicle into a camp of paramilitary troopers
in northwest Pakistan today, killing at least nine security
personnel and injuring 17 others.
The attacker targeted an office inside the Frontier Corps
camp in Bannu city of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Parts of
the single-storey building collapsed after the explosion,
police said.
Nine bodies had been found so far, officials told the
media.
They said they feared more bodies could be buried in the
rubble.
The 17 security personnel injured in the attack were
taken to a military hospital in Bannu, where officials said
several troopers were in critical condition.
Sources said nearly 300 paramilitary troopers were living
in the camp, which had several residential barracks.
The camp is a base for Frontier Corps personnel deployed
in nearby North Waziristan tribal region, considered a safe
haven for Taliban and al-Qaeda elements.
Bannu is located 40 km from Miranshah, the main town in
North Waziristan tribal agency.
Footage on television showed most parts of the camp were
razed to the ground.
Security personnel dug through the rubble of the office
with their hands as they searched for bodies and the injured.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack though
officials blamed the local Taliban for the bombing.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, December 24, 2011, 11:12