A powerful car bomb struck a police outpost in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, followed by a deadly ambush on backup forces, leaving at least 14 officers dead, according to police on Sunday.

Scene images from the aftermath depicted the outpost in ruins, littered with bricks, charred remains and twisted vehicles.

Police official Sajjad Khan announced that 14 officers' bodies were retrieved from the destroyed site, with three survivors located and quickly moved to a hospital.

A police source speaking anonymously explained that attackers drove an explosives-packed vehicle into the outpost before storming inside to shoot any remaining officers.

"Additional law enforcement teams arrived for support, but militants ambushed them, leading to more losses," the source noted.

Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen claims responsibility for attack

Authorities reported that the attackers deployed drones as part of the operation.

Ambulances from rescue services and local hospitals sped to the site, prompting a state of emergency at Bannu government medical centers.

The militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen has claimed the assault.

These strikes could spark renewed conflict along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier. Severe clashes flared in February between the onetime partners, featuring Pakistani airstrikes into Afghanistan aimed at militant hideouts, as stated by Islamabad.

Hostilities have cooled somewhat, marked by intermittent border clashes, without any formal peace agreement.

Pakistan holds Kabul responsible for sheltering fighters who orchestrate attacks from Afghan territory.

The Taliban dismisses the charges, calling Pakistan's militancy a homegrown issue.