Pakistani soldiers killed in suicide attack
A suicide bomber has rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into a military convoy in the North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. No group has taken responsibility so far, but the area has experienced frequent violence and attacks by a terrorist organization previously linked to the Taliban.
The attack on Saturday killed 13 soldiers and injured 29 people, including ten army personnel and 19 civilians, an unnamed local official told AFP. According to a local police officer, the roofs of two houses collapsed due to the explosion, injuring six children.
This suicide bombing comes amid an increase in militant assaults across Pakistan. Senior military and political leaders have attributed the increase in violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants conducting cross-border attacks from Afghanistan. They allege that Kabul is providing shelter and support to these militants, a claim that the Afghan authorities have denied.
Earlier in June, TTP terrorists killed a policeman in the Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. When the militants attempted to escape, local residents and security forces chased after them, resulting in one being killed during a shootout, according to police.
According to the Global Terrorist Index, TTP was among four terrorist groups responsible for the most deaths last year. Deaths attributed to TTP nearly doubled from 2023 to 2024.
