2014 Bannu bombing explained

2014 Bannu Bombing
Location:Bannu, Pakistan
Type:Bomb blast
Fatalities:26
Injuries:38
Perps:Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan

The 2014 Bannu Bombing was a bombing attack by the Taliban that killed twenty six Pakistani soldiers. Thirty-eight other people were injured as a result of the bombing.[1]

History

The bomb was first placed in an eighteen-seater van. The bomb then hit an army convoy which killed many Pakistani soldiers. The vehicle where many of the soldiers were was being rented by the Frontier Corps. The vehicle was traveling to Razmak, in North Waziristan. The bomb exploded at an army checkpoint. Fifteen of the twenty security officers that were injured were taken to the Bannu Combined Military Hospital in critical condition.[2] [3]

Reaction

According to TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid, "The bombing was carried out to (avenge) the killing of Maulana Waliur Rehman, commander of TTP South Waziristan, who was killed on May 29, 2013, in a U.S. drone strike in Miranshah." The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, canceled a trip to Davos, Switzerland that he had planned.[4]

Retaliation

As a result of the bombing, helicopters operated by the Pakistan Army fired missiles, resulting in the deaths of three militants and two children. The helicopters fired at a road in the village of Musaki.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mohammed. Ijaz. Taliban bomb kills 20 troops in Pakistan. USA Today. 20 January 2014.
  2. Web site: Tragedy: Bannu blast toll rises to 26. 21 January 2014 . The Express Tribune. 21 January 2014.
  3. Web site: Death toll reaches 26 as six more soldiers die. The News International. 21 January 2014.
  4. Web site: Saifi. Sophia. 22 killed in blast at Pakistani army checkpoint; Taliban claim responsibility. 19 January 2014 . CNN. 20 January 2014.
  5. Web site: Army Retaliates Over Bannu Bombing. 20 January 2014 . Newsweek Pakistan. 21 January 2014.