KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – At least 13 Pakistani soldiers have reportedly been killed and ten others injured in a suicide bombing in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Citing local officials, AFP reported that the attack occurred early on Saturday, June 28, in the North Waziristan district. The report added that at least 19 civilians were also killed.
According to the report, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) known as the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group claimed responsibility for the attack. The group’s suicide unit was reportedly behind the bombing.
Pakistani authorities have not yet commented on the incident.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in violence in its regions bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
The TTP and its affiliates, which share ideological ties with the Afghan Taliban, have stepped up attacks against Pakistan’s security forces, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Islamabad claims the TTP operates from bases inside Afghanistan and accuses the country’s ruling regime of sheltering and arming the group to carry out cross-border attacks.
The Taliban, however, denies that the TTP or any other militant groups are based in Afghanistan. The group also says it is not responsible for Pakistan’s internal security issues.
