Pakistan’s army and officers say a suicide bomber has focused a safety convoy in northwest Pakistan, killing 9 troopers and wounding 20 others
ByRIAZ KHAN Related Press
August 31, 2023, 12:18 PM
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suicide bomber driving on a bike focused a safety convoy in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing at the least 9 troopers and wounding 20 others, the army and three safety officers stated, an indication of accelerating militant violence.
The assault occurred in Bannu, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, the army stated in an announcement. It stated 5 troopers have been wounded within the assault.
Nonetheless, safety officers put the variety of wounded individuals at 20. They spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to talk to the media on the report.
There was no fast declare from any group, however the suspicion is prone to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, who’ve stepped up assaults on safety forces since 2022. Authorities say the insurgents have discovered sanctuaries and have even been dwelling overtly in Afghanistan for the reason that Taliban takeover, which additionally emboldened them,
Bannu is positioned close to the previous militant stronghold of North Waziristan, which served as a base for insurgents till the military years in the past introduced that it had cleared the area of native and international militants. Occasional assaults have continued, nevertheless, elevating considerations that the native Taliban, often known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, are regrouping within the space.
The Pakistani Taliban are a separate group however allies of the Afghan Taliban, who seized energy in Afghanistan in 2021 because the U.S. and NATO troops have been within the remaining phases of their pullout.