A suicide bomber attacked a police checkpost in northwest Pakistan on 26 September. At least 12 people were killed, PTI reported. AP put the toll at 11. About 18 to 30 people were injured. The attacker belonged to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a banned militant group.
The (TTP) claimed responsibility for this attack. It is separate from the Afghan Taliban but closely allied. The Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
The incident happened in Darazinda tehsil, Dera Ismail Khan district. This area lies near the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The bomber rammed an explosives-laden tractor-trolley into the checkpost. Regional Police Officer Khan Mubashir Malik confirmed this detail, PTI reported.
The checkpost was called the Aman Mela police post. Two customs and excise officials were among those killed. Most other victims were security personnel and passersby, AP reported, citing local police chief Safdar Baloch.
Injured people were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital. The bodies of the deceased were also taken there. Bomb disposal teams reached the site afterwards. They are checking what explosives were used.
Security forces cordoned off the entire area. A search operation began right after the attack. Investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
Such attacks on security forces are not new. In December 2023, a similar bombing occurred nearby. That attack killed at least 23 security personnel. It remains one of the deadliest attacks in the region. A smaller claimed responsibility for the earlier attack.
Pakistan has often accused Afghanistan of sheltering TTP fighters. Officials demand that Kabul stop cross-border attacks into Pakistan. Afghan authorities deny allowing such activities on their soil.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has faced constant unrest for years. Militant violence and cross-border fighter movement fuel this problem. Pakistan’s military has conducted repeated operations there. TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. Attacks in the province have risen sharply since then.
This attack came two days after border fighting. Pakistan and Afghanistan clashed along their southwestern border. At least 13 fighters were killed there. This followed Pakistani strikes inside Afghan territory this week.
Tensions between the two neighbours keep escalating further. This threatens ongoing peace mediation efforts. China, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are also involved in the ongoing talks. They hope to secure lasting peace between the two countries.
Dera Ismail Khan sits close to South Waziristan. This area was once a militant stronghold. The Pakistani military has operated here several times before.
Pakistan continues facing rising militant violence. Both TTP and Baloch Liberation Army are active. The BLA mainly operates in Balochistan province separately.
(With inputs from PTI and AP)
