A suicide bomber killed 12 security personnel and wounded several others when he detonated a car bomb at a security outpost in northwestern Pakistan, Reuters reported, citing local officials.

The attack, one of the deadliest in recent months, took place on Tuesday evening in Bannu, a district of the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Pakistani army said in a statement that six "khawarij" - a term used to describe the Pakistani Taliban - were killed in a gunfight at the scene.