Islamabad: A suicide attack in Pakistan’s North Waziristan district on Saturday killed 16 soldiers and wounded 25 others, including military personnel and civilians, officials said.
A local government official said a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a military convoy, killing 16 soldiers and injuring six others.
Nineteen civilians were also wounded in the attack, which caused the roofs of two houses to collapse, leaving six children injured. The condition of four injured soldiers is reported to be critical.
The Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction of the Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Violence in Pakistan’s border regions has surged since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in 2021.
Islamabad has accused Kabul of allowing militants to use Afghan soil for attacks against Pakistan, a claim the Taliban has denied.
Nearly 290 people, mostly security personnel, have been killed in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces since the beginning of this year.
