Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Two Bannu explosions killed at least seven people and injured three others in the Merka Bera area on Saturday, District Police Officer Yasir Afridi said.
Afridi said the first blast hit a passenger van travelling from Hathi Khel village to Bannu after explosives planted along a roadside detonated. Five passengers died in the explosion.
A second blast occurred shortly afterwards at the same location. The DPO said two people involved in rescue efforts died in the second explosion, while a vehicle was also damaged.
Police said three people sustained injuries in the attacks. Rescue teams moved the bodies and the injured to Khalifa Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital for treatment and legal formalities.
Authorities launched an investigation after the blasts. Police said further details were being gathered from the site.
Read: Pakistan Demarche Taliban Over Bannu Terror Attack
The attack came months after an April 3 suicide bombing in Bannu. Officials said that the attack killed at least five people, including three women and a child, and injured four others near a police station.
Security forces have intensified counterterrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The Inter-Services Public Relations said 48 militants linked to Fitna al-Khawarij were killed in North Waziristan during the first two weeks of June.
Pakistan has seen a rise in militant attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban administration to act against militant groups operating from Afghan soil
