Deadly blast targets bus in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 11

At least 11 people were killed in an explosion caused by a roadside bomb that targeted a bus carrying construction workers at a military site in northwestern Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan, according to authorities.

Rahman Gul Khattak, a senior government official in North Waziristan, stated that the workers constructing a new army site were killed on Saturday evening in the explosion caused by a planted roadside bomb.

Amir Mohammad Khan, a senior official in the region's police, confirmed the explosion and the death toll to Agence France-Presse.

The caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar expressed his sorrow over the terrorist attack, stating that it "took place in North Waziristan and claimed the lives of 11 innocent workers."

In a post on the former Twitter platform, Kakar added, "We strongly condemn this senseless violence and express our solidarity with the affected families."

North Waziristan is one of the tribal regions that enjoyed semi-autonomous rule and is located in northwestern Pakistan.

The army has conducted numerous operations against militants affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in this region following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

For several months, and particularly since the return of the Taliban to power in Kabul in August 2021, Pakistan has been facing deteriorating security, especially in areas near its border with Afghanistan.

Islamabad claims that some attacks are planned on Afghan soil, a claim that Kabul denies.

In early August, Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaquob warned against launching any attacks outside Afghan borders.

He stated in an address to Afghan security forces, broadcast on state television, that according to the top Taliban leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, fighting outside Afghanistan is not a religiously sanctioned "jihad," but rather an illegitimate war.

In Pakistan, the "Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan" (TTP) has intensified its attacks on army and security forces in recent months.

In January, a TTP suicide bomber detonated himself in a mosque inside a police compound in the city of Peshawar (northwestern Pakistan), killing more than 80 police personnel.

TTP attacks have been concentrated in areas bordering Afghanistan.

The Pakistani branch of the Islamic State is also active in this region.

On July 31, a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State targeted a political gathering in Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of 54 people, including 23 children.

More than 400 members and supporters of the Jamaat-e-Islami party had gathered under a tent in the town of Khars adjacent to the border with Afghanistan when the attack occurred.



AFP