Islamabad (Pakistan) : As many as 11 labourers were killed and two sustained injured in a bomb blast in the Gulmir Kot area in Pakistan’s North Waziristan, ARY News reported on Saturday. The police spokesperson said that the bomb exploded in a van in North Waziristan. Notably, this attack comes weeks after the massive suicide blast in Bajaur, in which at least 63 people including 23 children were killed and over 200 people sustained injuries.
The responsibility for the blast was claimed by the Islamic State group, according to Al Jazeera. The bombing targeted an election rally in Pakistan's border district of Bajaur. A bomber detonated an explosives-packed vest near the platform as some 400 members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party, a significant government coalition partner led by hardline politician Fazlur Rehman, awaited the start of the speeches.
The suicide bomber detonated explosives when JUI-F members and supporters gathered in the town of Khar, near the border with Afghanistan. The convention started at 2 pm, and the explosion happened at 4:10 pm, according to the officials. Notably, Pakistan has been witnessing a rise in terror activities, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan after the ceasefire between Pakistan's government and the outlawed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (TTP) ended in November last year.
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A report released in July said that Pakistan has been witnessing a steady rise in suicide attacks. Pakistan in the first seven months of 2023 experienced 18 suicide attacks, claiming the lives of 200 people and injuring more than 450 others, Pakistan-based Dawn reported citing a think tank report. Meanwhile, Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir recently said that the recent surge in terrorism was a “futile effort” by terrorists to resume talks and warned them to submit to the “writ of state of Pakistan before they are decimated”. (ANI)
