Pakistan car bomb attack kills 27 near Afghan border
Pakistan’s army says a suicide assault in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa killed security personnel, a forestry official and 12 attackers.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
A Pakistan car bomb attack on a security checkpoint near the Afghan border killed 27 people, Pakistan’s military said, adding to a surge of violence in the country’s northwest. The army said the dead included soldiers, police, a forestry official and the attackers who tried to breach the post.
The overnight assault took place in Tank district, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a remote and volatile area close to Afghanistan. According to the military, the attackers first tried to force their way into the checkpoint, then drove a vehicle packed with explosives into its outer wall.
Pakistan’s military said 12 soldiers, two police officers and one forestry official were killed. It said 12 attackers also died in the assault.
Security forces have started a search operation in the surrounding area to find anyone else involved, the army said.
Who carried out the Pakistan car bomb attack?
The Pakistan Taliban, known as the TTP, said four suicide bombers took part in the attack. The TTP is an armed group that has fought the Pakistani state since 2007.
The group’s claim links the assault to a wider pattern of attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted security forces, officials and civilians, Al Jazeera reported with AFP and Reuters.
Al Jazeera reported that attacks on security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have risen sharply this year. It also reported that neighbouring Bannu district saw a surge in attacks and suicide bombings against police last week.
Why is northwest Pakistan seeing more attacks?
Al Jazeera, citing AFP and Reuters, reported that violence in northwestern Pakistan has accelerated since the Taliban returned to power in neighbouring Afghanistan, where many armed groups are said to shelter. Pakistan’s government has long accused Afghanistan of harbouring armed groups, while the Afghan Taliban government denies involvement and says the attacks are Pakistan’s internal matter.
The Centre for Research and Security Studies recorded 2,331 fatalities last year, up from 1,620 in 2024. The Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies said attacks across Pakistan rose 34 percent over the same period.
The dispute between Islamabad and Kabul has also widened into cross-border military action. Pakistan has carried out repeated air raids on Afghan territory that it says target armed groups, while Afghanistan has fired back, Al Jazeera reported.
The United Nations has recorded hundreds of Afghan civilian deaths from those Pakistani strikes this year. Al Jazeera reported that the casualties have deepened the rift between the two neighbours.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.