An explosive-laden motorcycle rammed vehicle in security forces convoy, military says.

Two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, have been killed during a military operation when a fighter driving an explosive-laden motorcycle rammed a security convoy vehicle in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province near the border with Afghanistan, according to the country’s army.

The deadly clash took place on Saturday in KP’s Bannu district, with the Pakistani military saying at least five armed fighters, including one it described as “a suicide bomber” were also killed during the operation.

The military said that the bomber was stopped by the leading security team, preventing his attempt to attack civilians and law enforcement personnel and averting “a major catastrophe”.

The army referred to the fighters as “khawarij” – the term it uses for banned groups, including the Pakistan Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban administration in Kabul of providing refuge to the TTP, a banned Pakistani group separate from but linked to the Afghan Taliban, though Kabul has denied the allegations.

The two countries had previously clashed in a brief border conflict in October last year.

“Pakistan will not exercise any restrain and operations would continue against the perpetrators of this heinous and cowardly act for justified retribution against khwarij, irrespective of their location,” the statement said.

“Such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further reinforce our unwavering commitment to safeguarding our nation at all costs,” it said.

Repeated attacks

Bannu has long been a frequent flashpoint for armed violence, with repeated attacks on security forces and police checkpoints in recent years.

Security officials have reported strikes on police installations, suicide bombings and armed assaults in the district, part of a broader surge in armed rebel group activity across KP after the TTP ended a ceasefire with the government in late 2022.

Earlier this week, two bomb attacks and a gun battle between police and rebel fighters killed more than a dozen people in the province. One child and 11 security personnel ⁠were ⁠killed in an attack ‌in Bajaur district, the Pakistani military said, while seven ⁠others, ⁠including women and children, ⁠were injured ⁠in ⁠the incident.