A deadly suicide bombing hit a security Installation in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 12 civilians, including six children, and injuring 30 others, police and rescue workers said. Two suicide bombers targeted the security facility in the attack, in vehicles packed with explosives that rammed into it.
The detonation, which ripped through the area, had shaken the streets in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan, bringing down the roof of a nearby mosque while residents were breaking their fast. The attack took place in a crowded market where shoppers were doing their business. A security forces official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military practices, said that they were able to prevent the attackers from breaching the military facility. There was a gun battle, leaving six of the militants dead.
But no one has claimed responsibility for the attack and suspicion falls on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This Islamist militant group increased attacks on police and military installations bordering Afghanistan over the last years. Intensifying instability in the region, the TTP has been responsible for several attacks against security forces and government establishments.
All the victims were civilians who were ‘caught under collapsed buildings, collapsed walls due to the blast force,’ Muhammad Nauman, a spokesperson for a nearby hospital, confirmed. A search was on to find any survivors caught in the rubble as rescue operations were initiated.
It serves as a reminder of the ongoing security problems in Pakistan in general and in areas near the Afghan border in particular, where militant groups still operate. The latest incident is likely to result in increased security measures from authorities.
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