North Waziristan [Pakistan], June 28 (ANI): A suicide bombing in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has killed at least 13 soldiers and injured dozens more, in one of the deadliest attacks on the country’s security forces in recent months, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
The attack occurred on Saturday in the Khadi Market area of Mir Ali, North Waziristan. Local media outlet Khyber Chronicles, citing security sources, reported that the suicide bomber targeted a bomb disposal unit vehicle. The explosion killed 13 security personnel and left at least 24 others injured, including 14 civilians.
The blast reportedly took place as personnel were conducting operations in the area. No official statement has yet been released by the Pakistani military.
The Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a faction of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has been behind numerous assaults targeting Pakistani security forces and infrastructure, particularly in tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.
This latest attack underscores the growing instability in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt, which has witnessed a sharp increase in violence since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing Pakistan-based militant factions, especially the TTP, to operate from Afghan territory—a claim that Kabul continues to deny.
Earlier this year, four Pakistani soldiers were killed and two others injured in a similar attack in Spinwam tehsil of North Waziristan. That assault, which involved a heavy exchange of gunfire, resulted in the deaths of three militants, according to Dawn newspaper.
In response to the current attack, security forces reportedly cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. The injured were transported by air to the Combined Military Hospital in Bannu for treatment.
The deteriorating security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continues to raise serious concerns about Pakistan’s counterterrorism capabilities and the broader implications of regional militancy. (ANI)
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