A car bomb attack targeting a police station in northwestern Pakistan, followed by an ambush targeting reinforcements, killed at least 14 policemen on May 10.
Images at the scene show that the construction was completely destroyed, many bricks and vehicles were burned black and debris was scattered throughout the area.
Police officer Sajjad Khan said that rescue forces found the bodies of 14 policemen in the rubble of the security post. Three other surviving officers were taken to the hospital for emergency treatment.
An unnamed police officer said that the gunmen used vehicles containing explosives to rush into police checkpoints before rushing inside and firing guns at survivors.
According to police sources, other security forces dispatched to the scene for support were ambushed, causing more casualties. Gunmen are also believed to have used drones in the attack.
Many ambulances from rescue forces and civilian hospitals were dispatched to the scene. Authorities also declared a state of emergency at government hospitals in Bannu.
The Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen armed coalition has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Attacks by the armed forces raise the risk of a re-emergence of fighting along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The most serious wave of fighting in many years between the two sides broke out in February, when Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan targeting places that Islamabad considers gunmen's bases.
The situation then eased, although sporadic clashes still appeared along the border and no official ceasefire agreement was established.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring gunmen using Afghan territory to plan attacks on Pakistan. The Taliban movement rejects this accusation and believes that the violence in Pakistan is an internal matter of this country.
