Three killed as gunmen and suicide bombers attack Pakistan paramilitary force headquarters

Suicide bomber detonates explosives at entrance of constabulary

At least three people were killed after gunmen attacked a paramilitary force headquarters in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar on Monday.

The complex, the headquarters of the frontier constabulary (FC) paramilitary force, was also hit by two suicide bombers.

The first suicide bomber attacked the main entrance of the constabulary at around 8am local time, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported. After the blast, the second bomber tried to enter the building but was killed near the parking lot, it added, citing Pakistan security force sources.

At least three men from the frontier constabulary were killed in the attack, while two others sustained injuries.

The army and the police have cordoned off the area, the official said, adding that law enforcement authorities suspect there were some militants still inside the headquarters after the first attack.

The headquarters of the force is located in a crowded area, close to a military cantonment. "The road has been closed for traffic and cordoned off by the army, police and (security) personnel," Safdar Khan, a resident of the area, said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, have been blamed for similar previous assaults in the country, which has witnessed a surge in militant attacks.

The attacks have strained ties between Islamabad and Afghanistan's Taliban government, with Pakistan accusing the Pakistani Taliban of operating freely inside Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021.

In September, at least six soldiers were killed and five militants were neutralised as Pakistan's security forces thwarted an attack on the FC headquarters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district.

Another powerful car bomb blast outside the headquarters of Pakistan’s paramilitary FC in the southwestern city of Quetta has killed at least 10 people the same month.