5 dead in bomb blast targeting police in Pakistan: Report
What's the story
A bomb blast targeting police killed at least five people and injured 20 others in northwest Pakistan on Friday. According to reports, the blast took place in the country's Dera Ismail Khan district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Furthermore, police official Mohammad Adnan revealed that the explosion happened close to the route of a police patrol in the city.
Twitter Post
Visuals from Dera Ismail Khan
A bomb blast targeting police killed five people in northwest Pakistan. The bomb exploded close to a police patrol in #DeraIsmailKhan city.#Pakistan #Blast #PakistanBlast pic.twitter.com/RAAxiGxA4v
— Ajeet Kumar (@Ajeet1994) November 3, 2023
Details
No immediate claim of responsibility
At the moment, it is still not clear if the blast was the result of a suicide attack or a bomb planted nearby. Reuters reported that there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the incident as well. Notably, Dera Ismail Khan is situated on the outskirts of tribal districts bordering Afghanistan, which are said to have long been home to both foreign and homegrown Islamist militants.
More details
Recent blasts at Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces
Pakistan-based news outlet Dawn reported that there has been an uptick in terror activities, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in recent months. This comes after the terror outfit Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the Pakistani government last year in November. Significantly, two blasts rocked Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces last month.
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Looking at recent terror attacks in Pakistan
On October 31, a policeman lost his life in Dera Ismail Khan after unknown militants opened fire on a police camp. On the same day, two soldiers died in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in the South Waziristan district. Before that, a total of 12 Pakistan Army soldiers lost their lives in July during separate military operations in Balochistan's Sui and Zhob areas.
What's next
Pakistan registers 79% spike in terror attacks in 2023: Report
Earlier in July, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) reported that the country witnessed a 79% spike in terror attacks in the first six months of 2023 compared to 2022. The think tank's report also revealed that the 271 militant attacks that took place during the first half of the year resulted in the deaths of 389 people and injured 656 others.