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Blast in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa kills 14, dozens injured
The blast occurred when the Swat Peace Rally was in progress in Kabal Town in the Swat district
At least fourteen people were killed and over dozens were injured in an explosion during a peace rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan on Sunday.
The blast occurred when the Swat Peace Rally was in progress in Kabal Town in the Swat district, district officials quoted in the PTI report said.
At least 14 people were killed, and dozens of others were injured in the blast, the Associated Press reported.
“The attacker... detonated his explosive vest. A suicide bomber attempted to enter the police station located at the chowk (intersection), but was stopped by police at the main gate,” Swat's Deputy Inspector General of Police, Fida Hussain, told AFP.
No group immediately claimed responsibility.
Rescue teams shifted the wounded to nearby hospitals as police and other law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area, officials quoted by PTI said.
Pakistan's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, condemned the attack, issuing a statement extending condolences to the families of those killed and prayers for the speedy recovery of the wounded.
Repeated attacks in the region
Pakistan has previously blamed such attacks in border provinces on militancy emanating from Afghanistan. The Taliban government in Kabul denies Afghan involvement.
The Swat Peace Rally was organised by the Swat Aman Jirga (local tribal council), with participants raising slogans and carrying placards to demand peace in the area, which has seen a deterioration in security over the past few months.
A military spokesman said on Friday that militant attacks and ensuing operations had killed 819 security personnel and civilians this year.
The accusations have sparked a bitter rift and even armed conflict between Islamabad and Kabul. Pakistan has carried out deadly air strikes, which Islamabad says target militants on Afghan soil.
The Taliban government and the United Nations said dozens of civilians were killed in the latest Pakistani strikes on eastern Afghanistan in June.
