At least 20 people were feared killed in a suicide attack on a police station in Bannu, a district adjoining the North Waziristan tribal agency which is supposed to be a haven of the Haqqani terror network.
Several policemen are among those killed but the exact figure was not clear till late evening though preliminary reports suggest that at least six men in uniform were killed.
According to the police, an explosive-laden car was rammed into the Miryan police station around evening prayers. An adjoining mosque was also damaged by the explosion and many of the policemen were apparently offering their prayers inside at the time of the explosion.
The roof of the mosque caved in and the fear is that the toll could go up as it was prayer time.
The military has been conducting anti-terrorism operations in Bannu's Janikhel area for over a year now. Janikhel is regarded as a staging post for militants operating in Dera Islmail Khan, Bannu, Kohat and Peshawar. Since Bannu borders both North and South Waziristan, it is often used as a route by terrorists to move in and out of the tribal agencies.
