Islamabad, March 26 : A government school was destroyed in an explosion in Ghora village of Bannu city in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday, local media reported.

The explosion occurred after unidentified assailants planted explosives at the Government Primary School Noor Jan Baka Khel in Ghora village of Bannu, Pakistan's leading daily Dawn reported. The school structure was completely destroyed following the explosion.

According to the police sources, militants were allegedly present inside the school and were preparing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) when the explosion took place, as per the report. So far, this claim has not been confirmed officially.

A police official said that reports of a possible suicide attacker had been received, with Bannu Police Lines believed to be the possible target. The Bannu Police Lines Road has been shut to all traffic and security has been increased across the city to stop any untoward incident.

Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has witnessed rise in targetted attacks in the past year. The Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in its annual report revealed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed a rise in violence last year as fatalities increased from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025.

Last week, an assistant sub-inspector of the Elite Force was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Mano Banda area of Gandigar in Upper Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to police.

Bacha Yousaf Khan was targetted by unidentified assailants outside his residence. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. According to police sources, Khan was heading to mosque to offer prayers when he was targetted, Dawn reported. The Gandigar police lodged a case against unknown assailants and began a probe.

On March 13, at least seven police personnel were killed in a blast near a police vehicle in the Bettani tribal of Lakki Marwat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to a spokesperson of the local police, the explosion took place near a police mobile, causing death of six police personnel and injuries to one policeman, Pakistan's leading media outlet Geo News reported.

According to the spokesperson, the explosion took place near a police mobile, causing death of six police personnel and injuring another policeman. The injured police personnel was taken to the hospital, however, he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

/IANS