KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – At least 17 people, including seven police officers, were killed and 34 others injured in a suspected suicide bombing near a police station in Pakistan’s northwestern Swat district on Sunday, according to local officials.
The attack took place near the Kabal police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where a pro-police and anti-militancy rally organized by civil society members was underway. Authorities said the suspected bomber attempted to enter the police station but was stopped by security personnel at the main gate before detonating the explosives.
The powerful blast occurred at a busy intersection crowded with demonstrators and bystanders, causing multiple casualties among both police officers and civilians.
Police officials said those killed included seven police officers, 10 civilians, and the suspected attacker. Dozens of injured people were transported to nearby hospitals, while rescue teams and security forces cordoned off the area.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) later said it carried out the bombing, according to Reuters.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the victims’ families, while authorities launched an investigation and a security operation to identify and arrest any accomplices.
Pakistan has seen a surge in militant violence in recent years, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which border Afghanistan. The attacks often target security personnel, police patrols, military convoys, and government installations.
Militant groups, including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and the Baloch Liberation Army, as well as affiliated factions, have intensified attacks in these regions in recent years. Pakistani authorities say the groups have expanded operations against security forces, infrastructure, and government facilities.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of allowing militants from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan to use Afghan territory as a base to launch cross-border attacks. Taliban deny the accusations and say Pakistan should address its security challenges internally.
The rise in violence has strained relations between Pakistan and the Taliban authorities in Kabul. For years, Pakistan maintained close ties with the Afghan Taliban and hosted many of the movement’s leaders and fighters during the two decades of war against the Western-backed Afghan government that preceded the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
In recent months, however, relations have deteriorated sharply, with both sides exchanging accusations and military actions along the border. Pakistan has carried out several airstrikes in border areas and, in some cases, deeper inside Afghanistan.
Clashes that began in late February have resulted in significant civilian casualties in Afghanistan. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, at least 75 civilians have been killed and 193 others wounded across the country since then, with women and children accounting for the majority of casualties.
