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‘800 kg of explosives’: How suicide blast hit military convoy in Pakistan’s North Waziristan, killing 14 soldiers
Footage from the scene showed children with bandages lying near shattered glass and debris inside damaged structures.
At least 14 soldiers were killed and 25 others, including civilians, injured in a suicide car bombing in northwest Pakistan’s North Waziristan district on Saturday, making it one of the deadliest recent attacks in the region.
The blast struck a military vehicle around lunchtime in Khadi village, despite a curfew that had been imposed in the area to facilitate the movement of security forces.
An initial probe found that approximately 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds) of explosives were used in the bombing, causing severe damage to several nearby houses, according to the news agency Associated Press.
Among the injured were 15 soldiers and 10 civilians, including children. However, Pakistan’s military, in its official account, put the death toll at 13 soldiers and reported that three civilians had been wounded, the report added.
Footage from the scene showed children with bandages lying near shattered glass and debris inside damaged structures.
Pakistani Taliban faction Hafiz Gul Bahadur group claims responsibility
The Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the attack occurred, is home to several banned militant organisations that frequently target security personnel.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban government in Kabul of offering safe haven to these groups, a charge Afghanistan denies.
Earlier this year, security analyst Abdullah Khan called the Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction as “more lethal” than the Pakistani Taliban, noting its ongoing rivalry with the main group.
Khan, managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, had also warned of a resurgence in activity by groups such as Lashkar-e-Islam, which operates out of the region and has contributed to rising militant violence in the country.
Earlier in December 2023, at least 23 Pakistani soldiers were killed after militants linked to a Pakistani Taliban affiliate rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a security forces’ post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
With AP inputs
