Twelve civilians and six terrorists were killed and 32 more people were injured in a terrorist attack on a cantonment area in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, police and government officials said on Tuesday, according to Xinhua.

A group of terrorists, including suicide bombers, attempted to enter the cantonment area in Bannu district but were stopped by the timely response of security forces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesman Mohammad Ali Saif told Xinhua.

The terrorists rammed two explosive-laden vehicles into the cantonment wall, causing extensive damage, he said, adding that security personnel stationed at various entry points of the area engaged the terrorists, killing six of them on the spot.

A senior local police official said the powerful blast caused the roofs of nearby buildings and a mosque to collapse, killing 12 civilians and injuring 32 more.

In a social media post, Hafiz Gul Bahadur's group of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.