A suicide bomber detonated explosives at a security checkpoint near the town of Mir Ali in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday, leaving eight dead and five injured, according to local authorities. The bomber triggered the blast from a motorbike rickshaw, targeting a security checkpoint close to the Afghan border.
The attack killed four police officers, two paramilitary soldiers, and two civilians. Among the injured, three are reported to be in critical condition and have been transferred to a military hospital, a local police officer reported on the condition of anonymity. A government official confirmed the casualty count, also requesting anonymity.
A lesser-known militant group, Aswad ul-Harb, has claimed responsibility for the bombing. The incident follows a string of recent attacks in the area, including a raid by the Pakistani Taliban earlier this week that killed ten police officers near the Afghan border.
Pakistan has experienced an increase in militant attacks since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021. Islamabad has alleged that hostile groups are now using Afghan territory as a refuge. In 2023, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies reported a sharp rise in suicide bombings, with 29 attacks leading to 329 deaths, marking it as the deadliest year for such violence in nearly a decade.
