Bomb blast in Pakistan’s Waziristan; 11 workers killed

Up to 11 workers were killed and two injured in a bomb blast in the Gulmir Kot area in PakistanNorth Waziristan, ARY News reported on Saturday.

The police spokesman said the bomb exploded in a van in North Waziristan.

More details are expected in this regard.

In particular, this attack comes weeks after the mass suicide bombing in Bajaur, in which at least 63 people, including 23 children, were killed and more than 200 injured.

Responsibility for the explosion was claimed by the Islamic State group, according to Al Jazeera.

The attack targeted an election rally in Pakistan’s Bajaur border district.

An attacker detonated a vest filled with explosives near the platform as some 400 members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party, a major partner in the government coalition led by hardline politician Fazlur Rehman, awaited the start of the speeches.

The suicide bomber detonated explosives as JUI-F members and supporters gathered in the town of Khar, near the border with Afghanistan. The convention began at 2 p.m. and the explosion occurred at 4:10 p.m., according to officials.

In particular, Pakistan has witnessed an increase in terrorist activities, particularly in jyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan after the ceasefire between the Pakistani government and the banned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (TTP) ended in November last year.

A report published in July said that Pakistan has witnessed a steady increase in suicide attacks. Pakistan in the first seven months of 2023 experienced 18 suicide attacks, killing 200 people and injuring more than 450, Pakistan-based Dawn reported, citing a report by a think tank.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir recently said the recent rise in terrorism was a “futile effort” by the terrorists to resume talks and warned them to submit to Pakistan’s “state mandate before be decimated.”