Last Updated:
A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing several soldiers and injuring civilians.
Over 10 Pakistani Army personnel were killed in the suicide attack. (AP/Representative)
At least 13 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 29 others, including civilians, were injured after a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkwa province.
“A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy. The blast killed 13 soldiers, injured 10 army personnel and 19 civilians,” said a local government official in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the region has seen widespread attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The latest comes amid a surge in violent militant attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In mid-March, the TTP announced a “spring campaign” against security forces, threatening “ambushes, targeted attacks, suicide attacks and strikes”. The TTP has since claimed responsibility for around 100 attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Attacks have increased in Pakistan in particular since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Islamabad accuses the Taliban government in Kabul of failing to eliminate militants who take refuge on Afghan soil to prepare attacks against Pakistan.
The Taliban government denies these accusations and in return accuses Pakistan of harbouring “terrorist” cells on its soil, pointing the finger in particular at the regional branch of the Islamic State group IS-K.
Last year was the deadliest year in almost a decade in Pakistan, with more than 1,600 people killed in attacks — nearly half of them security forces personnel — according to the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies.
(with agency inputs)
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
- Location :
Islamabad, Pakistan
- First Published:
