A group of suicide bombers targeted the headquarters of Pakistan’s civilian paramilitary force in Peshawar on Monday morning, resulting in the deaths of at least three security officers and injuries to several others. Officials report that just after 8 a.m. local time, one attacker detonated explosives at the main gate while two other assailants, attempting to breach the facility, were shot dead by law enforcement before reaching the crowded parade ground.
According to police, about 150 security personnel were assembled in the open grounds for morning drills at the time, and a swift response by the officers averted a much larger tragedy. The incident occurred at a complex situated on Saddar Road, one of Peshawar’s busiest areas, and forced authorities to declare an emergency at nearby hospitals.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, TTP) is suspected of involvement, given their history of similar assaults. The attack comes less than two weeks after a TTP-linked suicide bombing at a court in Islamabad, increasing fears about militant violence in Pakistan’s northwest and straining relations with neighboring Afghanistan over counter-terrorism concerns.