12 Killed, 18 Injured in Suicide Bombing in Northwestern Pakistan

Islamabad: Twelve people, including two women and two children, were killed and 18 others injured in a suicide bombing in northwestern Pakistan.

The attack, carried out by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), targeted a police checkpoint in Darazinda tehsil of Dera Ismail Khan district, near the border between the conflict-affected provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to Pakistan’s national emergency service Rescue 1122.

Regional Police Officer Khan Mubashir Malik said a tractor loaded with explosives was driven into the Aman Mela police checkpoint in the tehsil. Police said customs and excise officials were among those killed.

The injured were shifted to the district headquarters hospital for treatment, while the bodies have been kept in the hospital mortuary. Police said the bomb disposal squad was continuing inspections at the site.

Following the attack, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. A high alert has been issued in the area.