ERBIL () - A suicide bomber attacked a police post in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing 11 people and injuring 30 others, according to authorities cited by news agencies, as the region faces a surge in militant violence.
The blast occurred in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, emergency service Rescue 1122 said. The injured were taken to hospitals for treatment, while rescue teams recovered the bodies from the scene.
Initial local reports said the attack took place at the Aman Mela Check Post in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan.
An explosives-laden vehicle allegedly rammed into the checkpoint before exploding. The exact nature of the attack is still being assessed, although authorities described it as a suspected suicide attack.
Additional police personnel were dispatched from Dera Ismail Khan as rescue and security operations continued at the site.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast in the initial reports available.
The attack comes amid a surge in militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in areas close to Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.
The province has faced repeated attacks targeting police and other security personnel in recent months. Dera Ismail Khan has also previously been the scene of militant attacks, including separate attacks on police and security posts in and around the district in February.
Pakistan has experienced a sharp increase in militant violence in its northwestern regions, with the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), among the groups active in the area.
Pakistani authorities have repeatedly accused militants operating from Afghanistan of carrying out attacks, while Afghanistan’s Taliban government has denied allowing its territory to be used against Pakistan.
Saturday’s bombing adds to a series of attacks targeting security personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with rescue and security operations continuing after the blast in Dera Ismail Khan.
