At least 13 Pakistani soldiers were killed and several others injured on Saturday in a suicide bombing that targeted a military convoy in the Khaddi area of North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to reports, the attacker drove an explosive-laden vehicle into a mine-resistant vehicle belonging to a bomb disposal unit. The attack was claimed by the Aswaad-ul-Harb group, which is affiliated with the Ittehad-ul-Mujahedeen Pakistan, according to local media.
Violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The region has long experienced instability, with frequent assaults by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The suicide bombing comes amid a broader surge in militant violence across Pakistan, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
In March this year, the Pakistan Army reported killing 10 suspected militants linked to the TTP following a suicide bombing that targeted a Frontier Corps camp near the Jandola checkpost in South Waziristan, according to Geo News.
That same month, militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) carried out a deadly attack on the Jaffar Express passenger train near Gudalar and Piru Kunri, killing 21 civilians and four paramilitary personnel.
According to the Global Terrorism Index 2025, Pakistan witnessed a sharp 45% increase in terrorism-related deaths, rising from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024, placing the country second globally in terms of terrorist fatalities.
