The attack comes amid a surge in militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in areas close to Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.
At least 11 people were killed and 30 injured in a blast in Dera Ismail Khan in northwestern Pakistan Saturday, emergency service Rescue 1122 said. The blast took place near Aman Mela in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Rescue teams from the Darazinda station reached the scene and began relief operations, providing medical assistance to the wounded and taking them to hospital, the emergency service said.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, security monitoring sources said.
Initial local reports said the attack involved an explosives-laden vehicle at a security checkpoint in the Darazinda area. That detail should be attributed to local reports until independently confirmed.
Dera Ismail Khan, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near Pakistan’s border regions with Afghanistan, has repeatedly been hit by Islamist militant violence, including attacks targeting police and security forces.
Security incidents have continued in the district this month. Data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal records multiple militant incidents in Dera Ismail Khan and elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in September.
The latest attack comes amid a broader escalation in militant violence in northwestern Pakistan. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly accused militants based in Afghanistan of carrying out attacks inside Pakistan, while Afghanistan’s Taliban government has denied allowing its territory to be used for such attacks.
(With inputs from agencies)
