16 Pakistan troops killed in suicide attack in North Waziristan; children among injured

At least 16 Pakistani soldiers were killed and more than two dozen people injured, including civilians on Saturday in a suicide attack by Pakistan's Taliban, local government officials and police officers told AFP news agency. A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The attack resulted in 16 soldiers killed and injuries to civilians, including six children due to collapsed roofs of two houses. The suicide bomber wing of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur armed group, a faction of the Pakistan Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan has seen a surge in violence in its border regions with Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of allowing attacks against Pakistan from its soil, a claim denied by the Taliban. Around 290 people, mostly security officials, have been killed in attacks this year by armed groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to an AFP tally.

Poll: What should be the top priority after such deadly attacks? Strengthening border security or enhancing counter-terrorism intelligence.

According to the source: Times of India.