PESHAWAR  -   Authorities said Monday that a suicide bomber drove an explosiveladen vehicle into a military compound, followed by several armed insurgents storming it, resulting in the death of at least three soldiers and injuries to 12 others. The pre-dawn raid occurred in the garrison city of Bannu in Khyber Pa­khtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. Local police officials and witness­es reported that the intensi­ty of the blast had also shat­tered nearby civilian homes, injuring at least six people. The security forces success­fully foiled a cowardly ter­rorist attack on Bannu Cantt on Monday morning. Accord­ing to details, the terrorists attempted to enter the Cantt by detonating an explosive laden vehicle on the road be­tween the outer wall of Ban­nu Cantt and the supply de­pot. The security forces foiled the terrorists’ attempt by taking timely action. The security forces have started a clearance operation. At least seven civilians were wound­ed in the attack, police said. The attack took place in Ban­nu city in the Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The province has witnessed a surge in mil­itant attacks in recent years. “Terrorists mounted the at­tack on the Cantt at around 5:00 am, which was re­pulsed by the security forc­es,” Ziauddin Ahmed, the dis­trict police officer (DPO) for southern Bannu district, told reporters. “As per initial in­formation, seven civilians were wounded in the attack.” He said a clearance operation was still ongoing and any ca­sualties, including of soldiers, could only be confirmed af­ter its conclusion. He added that sporadic gunfire could still be heard near the Bannu Cantt. Locals said militants had tried to force their way into the Cantt and had deto­nated an explosive-laden ve­hicle on the road between the supply depot and the outer wall of the cantonment. AP reported, quoting police, that a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle and at least one of his accom­plices exploded his vest near the outer wall of Bannu Cantt, wounding eight civilians and damaging nearby homes.