Pakistan suicide attack: What we know about victims, attackers

At least three security personnel have been killed when a suicide bomber and gunmen attacked the Federal Constabulary (FC) headquarters in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar.

“Three FC personnel deployed at the gate were martyred and four others were wounded,” said Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Mian Saeed Ahmad, adding that one assailant died after detonating explosives and two other attackers were shot dead by security forces.

Monday’s attack, which wounded 11 people, came less than two weeks after a suicide attack outside a court in the capital, Islamabad, killed 12 people.

Here is what we know so far and why attacks have surged in Pakistan in recent months.

What happened in Peshawar?

Just after 8am (03:00 GMT) on Monday, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the gate of the security headquarters, after which other attackers entered the complex, located in the heart of the city, according to local media.

About 150 security personnel had gathered inside the headquarters for morning parade drills when the attack took place, Ahmad said.

“The terrorists involved in today’s attack were on foot and failed to reach the parade area, and a timely response by our forces prevented a much larger tragedy,” he told The Associated Press news agency.

He said authorities had collected samples of the body parts of the attackers for DNA tests. He added that police are still investigating to determine the identity and nationality of the attackers.

Zulfiqar Hameed, the police chief of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told the AFP news agency that “the attack has concluded, and a clearance operation is under way to determine whether any unexploded ordnance is present.”

Where in Peshawar did the attack take place?

The attack took place at the FC headquarters, located in a densely populated area on Sunehri Masjid Road in Peshawar Cantonment, a garrison area under the administrative control of the Pakistan army.

The FC is a paramilitary police force based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It was established in 1913 through the merger of two smaller paramilitary forces, the Border Military Police and Samana Rifles. It was originally called the Fron­tier Constabulary until it was renamed by the government in July.

What do we know about the victims?

Three paramilitary personnel were killed in the attack, Javed Iqbal, the deputy commandant of the force, said.

Additionally, 11 people were wounded. Asim Khan, a spokesperson at the government-run Lady Reading Hospital, said all 11 were listed in stable condition.

Who has claimed responsibility for the attack?

Jamatul Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistan Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for the attack, the local newspaper Dawn reported.

The Pakistan Taliban have also been blamed for similar assaults in the country, which has witnessed a surge in such attacks in recent months.

The unrest has put pressure on relations between Islamabad and Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government. Pakistan alleges the Pakistan Taliban have been able to operate unhindered inside Afghanistan since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover there.

What happened to the attackers?

There is still no clarity on the number of attackers. AP reported there were two suicide bombers without mentioning the total number of people involved in the attack while AFP said there was a bomber among the assailants. Reuters reported there were three suicide bombers.

“Initially, three militants tried to attack the headquarters. One terrorist blew himself up at the gate while two others tried to enter the premises but were gunned down by FC personnel,” Ahmad told reporters, according to Dawn.

Have attacks increased in Pakistan?

Pakistan has seen an uptick in attacks in recent years.

The country has recorded 1,517 “terrorism-related” incidents this year as of Wednesday, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, maintained by the London-based charity Action on Armed Violence.

According to the portal, there were 1,303 “terrorism-related” incidents in 2024, 921 in 2023 and 630 in 2022.

Figures from the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies showed that 2024 was Pakistan’s deadliest year in almost a decade with 2,526 deaths in attacks. The victims included nearly 700 security personnel, more than 900 civilians and about 900 rebels.

How have authorities reacted?

President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack in an X post.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack in a statement, saying the sacrifices of the personnel killed in the attack will be remembered, Dawn reported.

Senator Sherry Rehman from the Pakistan People’s Party wrote in an X post: “No such #terrorist plots or attackers backed by external sources, which it seems they were, can or will weaken Pakistan’s unity, resilience or resolve.”