Car bomb explosion in Pakistan kills 11 and wounds dozens

Car bomb explosion in Pakistan kills 11 and wounds dozens

Pakistani police and rescue officials announced that at least 11 people were killed and dozens injured following a car bomb attack at a security checkpoint in the Dera Ismail Khan area in the country's northwest.

The "Rescue 1122" organization announced that the blast occurred on Saturday, the fourth of Muharram, near the "Aman Milla" area in the Drazinda district of the city of Dera Ismail Khan, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and near the Afghan border regions.

According to Saifullah Khan, a senior police official in Dera Ismail Khan, this ground attack took place around noon and targeted a joint checkpoint operated by police, military, and customs forces.

He told AFP: "A suspected suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying explosives into the checkpoint, resulting in the deaths of 11 people." Bilal Faizi, a rescue service official, also stated that rescue teams transported 11 bodies from the accident scene and at least 18 others were injured. The aid organization's initial report put the number of injured at 30.

Reuters reports that the "Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan" group has claimed responsibility for this ground attack.

The Dera Ismail Khan area has witnessed numerous attacks by Islamist groups in recent years, most of which targeted police forces and security institutions.

About three weeks ago, at least 31 people, including 16 police officers, were killed in a ground attack involving an explosion and gunfire targeting a police headquarters in the city of Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistan attributes the surge in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces to the activity of armed militant groups based in Afghanistan; an accusation that the Afghan Taliban government has rejected.