A suicide attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban has killed 16 soldiers and injured over two dozen people, including civilians, police officers, and local government officials. The attack took place in North Waziristan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, when a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into a military convoy, according to a local government official.
The blast also caused the roofs of two houses to collapse, injuring six children, a police officer reported. The Pakistani Taliban’s Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction claimed responsibility for the attack.
Violence has sharply increased in Pakistan’s border regions with Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021. Pakistan has accused the Taliban of allowing its territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan, a claim the Taliban denies. This year, around 290 people, mainly security personnel, have been killed in attacks by armed groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to an AFP tally.
