A suicide attacker rammed an explosives-filled vehicle into a military convoy in Pakistan’s North Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, killing 13 soldiers and injuring 10 others and 19 civilians, a local official was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
"A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy. The blast killed 13 soldiers, injured 10 army personnel and 19 civilians," said a local government official in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan.
A police officer in the district said the blast caused the roofs of two houses to collapse, leaving six children injured.
“The explosion also caused the roofs of two houses to collapse, injuring six children,” a police officer posted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa told AFP.
The condition of four injured soldiers remains critical following the attack, an official informed.
Responsibility for the suicide bombing was claimed by the suicide unit of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a faction aligned with the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).
Violence has surged in Pakistan’s border regions since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of harboring militants who launch cross-border attacks, an allegation the Afghan Taliban continues to deny.
According to an AFP tally, around 290 people, mostly security personnel, have been killed in attacks by anti-government armed groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since the beginning of the year.
In March, the Pakistan Army claimed to have killed 10 militants linked to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) following a suicide attack on a Frontier Corps camp near the Jandola checkpost in South Waziristan, according to Geo News.
That same month, militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) targeted the Jaffar Express train near Gudalar and Piru Kunri, killing 21 passengers and four paramilitary personnel.
Pakistan has seen a steep rise in terrorism-related fatalities. According to the Global Terrorism Index 2025, the country recorded a 45% increase in such deaths, from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024, making it the second most-affected nation globally by terrorist violence.
Source: India Today, AFP