At least seven people have been killed and 20 others injured in a suicide bombing in northwestern Pakistan, police authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who rammed a three-wheeled vehicle loaded with explosives into a security checkpoint before detonating the device.
Senior police official Muhammad Sajjad Khan said preliminary investigations indicated that the attacker targeted two traffic police officers stationed at the checkpoint before carrying out the explosion.
“According to initial reports, the suspected suicide attacker approached the checkpoint before blowing himself up,” Khan told AFP.
The latest attack comes just days after another deadly incident in the region, where a car bomb struck a checkpoint in Bannu, followed by a gun attack on police officers, killing at least 15 people.
Security concerns have intensified in the region amid a rise in militant violence, with authorities pointing to cross-border militancy as a key factor.
On Monday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry summoned Afghanistan’s top diplomat in Islamabad after concluding that a recent suicide attack was orchestrated by militants allegedly operating from Afghan territory.
The government of Afghanistan, led by the Taliban, has consistently rejected accusations that its territory is being used as a safe haven for militants targeting Pakistan.
Relations between the two neighbouring countries have deteriorated in recent months, marked by escalating tensions and reported cross-border military strikes, further heightening instability in the region.
