Terror strikes Bannu as twin blasts kill seven in Marka Bera attack
At least seven people were killed and three others injured in two separate explosions in the semi-tribal mountainous area of Marka Bera in Bannu’s Wazir sub-division, officials confirmed.
First blast targets passenger vehicle
Bannu District Police Officer (DPO) Yasir Afridi said the attacks involved two remote-controlled blasts in the Phang Musa Khel area, terming them a “cowardly act of terrorism.” A private Datsun vehicle carrying passengers was first targeted while travelling towards Domel, killing five people and destroying the vehicle completely.
صدرِ مملکت آصف علی زرداری کی بنوں کے ضلع میں آئی ای ڈی دھماکے کی شدید مذمت، معصوم شہریوں کے جانی نقصان پر گہرے دکھ اور افسوس کا اظہار۔
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) June 20, 2026
صدرِپاکستان کا جاں بحق افراد کے اہلِ خانہ سے دلی ہمدردی اور تعزیت کا اظہار، زخمیوں کی جلد صحتیابی کے لیے نیک تمناؤں کا اظہار۔
صدر زرداری نے…
Second blast hits rescue response
Eyewitnesses and police said a second explosion occurred nearly one kilometre away as injured victims from the first blast were being shifted for treatment. The second attack killed two more people and destroyed another vehicle.
Rescue operation and security response
Rescue 1122 teams shifted bodies and injured victims to Domel Rural Health Centre and Khalifa Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital. Security forces immediately cordoned off the area and launched a search operation amid concerns that additional explosive devices may still be present.
وزیراعظم پاکستان محمد شہباز شریف کی بنوں دھماکے کی شدید مذمت، قیمتی جانوں کے ضیاع پر گہرے دکھ اور افسوس کا اظہار
— APP (@appcsocialmedia) June 20, 2026
وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف کی دھماکے میں شہید ہونے والوں کے درجاتِ بلندی، لواحقین کے لیے صبرِ جمیل اور زخمیوں کی جلد و مکمل صحت یابی کی دعا.#ShehbazSharif #BannuBlast pic.twitter.com/KbjjWvv43Y
Condemnation from top leadership
President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the blasts, expressing grief over civilian deaths and warning against terrorist networks and their facilitators. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq also denounced the attacks, calling them acts of terrorism aimed at destabilizing the country.
Rising terror concerns in Bannu
The incident highlights ongoing security challenges in Bannu, where recent months have seen repeated attacks on civilians and security forces, prompting local calls for stronger counterterrorism action.
