Deadly suicide attack kills at least 11 in northwestern Pakistan

At least 11 people have been killed and about 30 others injured after a suicide bomber attacked a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday.

According to Euronews, police and rescue officials said the attacker detonated a vehicle packed with explosives at a roadside checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan district, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Bilal Faizi, spokesperson for the provincial emergency service, confirmed the location of the attack as emergency teams responded to the scene.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Pakistan has experienced an increase in militant attacks in recent years, many of which have been claimed by the TTP.

The Counter Extremism Project describes the TTP as a “conglomerate” of roughly 40 tribal and non-tribal militant groups primarily fighting the Pakistani state.

The group was founded in late 2007 and is allied with the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 following withdrawal of US forces.