A planted bomb hidden within a parked motorcycle at a bus stop in Dera Ismail Khan, northwest Pakistan, detonated as a police bus passed by, resulting in the deaths of at least five individuals and leaving 20 others wounded, as confirmed by local authorities.
According to police officer Gul Sher Khan, the explosion occurred near the Afghanistan-bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Among the casualties were both civilians and police constables, with three individuals in critical condition being transported to a nearby hospital for immediate medical attention, shared rescue official Bilal Faizi.
While no particular group has claimed responsibility for the attack, suspicion is directed toward the Pakistani Taliban, notorious for intensifying assaults on security forces since 2022. Authorities speculate that the insurgents, taking advantage of their open presence in Afghanistan following the 2021 Taliban takeover, have grown increasingly audacious.
Dera Ismail Khan’s proximity to the former militant hub of South Waziristan, previously a safe haven for extremists, adds further complexity to the situation. Despite prior military operations in the region aimed at eliminating both local and foreign militants, sporadic attacks persist, fueling concerns of a potential resurgence among the local Taliban faction known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
The Pakistani Taliban operates independently, however they maintain an alliance with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan during the 2021 U.S. and NATO troop withdrawal.
