At least 12 people were killed and around 30 injured when a vehicle packed with explosives was detonated at a checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan, followed by gunmen opening fire on an ambulance carrying victims. The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.
Attack on Emergency Workers
The incident took place in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Police and rescue officials said the attack occurred on Saturday. Bilal Faizi, a representative for the provincial emergency service, said gunmen opened fire on an ambulance as emergency crews transported victims to a nearby hospital, killing a rescue worker and wounding two others. Two women and a child were among those killed in the suicide bombing, he added.
The deceased and injured were being transported to a nearby hospital, with several of the wounded in a critical state, police reported.
Government Condemnation
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and offered condolences to the victims’ families. Zardari described the targeting of civilians and law enforcement personnel as “highly condemnable” and called for intensified action against the Pakistani Taliban, which he accused of carrying out “heinous and brutal acts” with foreign support.
Pakistan has seen an increase in militant attacks in recent years, many of which have been claimed by the TTP and the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group primarily active in the neighbouring Balochistan province. The TTP is distinct from but allied with the Afghan Taliban, which regained control in Afghanistan in 2021.
Border Tensions
Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of allowing TTP members to operate from Afghan territory and have demanded that Kabul prevent cross-border attacks. Afghan authorities deny permitting their territory to be used for attacks against other countries.
Saturday’s bombing came two days after fighting along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border killed at least 13 Afghan Taliban fighters, according to Pakistan’s government. The clash followed Pakistani strikes this week on suspected militant hideouts inside Afghanistan. The renewed hostilities threaten mediation efforts by China, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia aimed at securing lasting peace between the neighbouring countries.
