A suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed vehicle into a security checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan on Saturday, killing at least 12 people including two women and a two-year-old child in one of the deadliest attacks to hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this month.
The assault targeted the Aman Mela checkpoint on the DI Khan-Quetta Road in the Darazanda area, where security forces maintain a joint post to combat smuggling operations. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, which left more than 35 people wounded, many in critical condition.
Regional Police Officer Ghulam Mubashir confirmed that among the dead were six police personnel and one Customs official, while the remaining victims were civilians. The powerful blast caused extensive damage to the checkpoint and sparked fears the death toll could climb as doctors work to save the critically injured.
In a chilling escalation, militants opened fire on a Rescue 1122 ambulance transporting wounded victims from the blast site near Daraban. The attack killed rescue worker Sharifullah and seriously injured two others, Inis and Imtiaz. Despite the gunfire, emergency teams continued their life-saving operations, displaying extraordinary courage under fire.
The violence comes just one week after a coordinated assault on Kohat Police Lines killed 22 people during Friday prayers, marking a disturbing surge in militant activity across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Security experts point to a sharp rise in terrorist incidents since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, despite repeated Pakistani demands that Kabul prevent its territory from being used as a staging ground for cross-border attacks.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and vowed that the sacrifices of security personnel would not be in vain. “We are determined to completely eliminate terrorism from the country,” he said while expressing condolences to the victims’ families.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi echoed the resolve, stating that “cowardly acts by the Khawarij cannot weaken the nation’s resolve against terrorism.” He acknowledged that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains on the frontline of Pakistan’s counter-terrorism battle, where citizens and security forces have endured countless sacrifices.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi called the attack “a nefarious conspiracy” and demanded a full report from senior officials while ordering maximum medical care for the wounded.
Security forces have launched operations in the area following the blast, with police, Counter-Terrorism Department teams, and military personnel conducting search and clearance activities. Evidence collection is underway as investigators work to determine the full scope of the attack and identify any accomplices.
The targeting of both security checkpoints and rescue workers represents a dangerous new phase in militant tactics, designed to maximize casualties and spread fear among both security forces and the civilian population they protect. The attack on medical personnel violates international humanitarian norms and demonstrates the ruthless nature of the threat facing Pakistan’s northwestern regions.
For families in DI Khan and surrounding areas, the blast is a grim reminder that the war against terrorism continues to exact a heavy toll on communities already scarred by years of violence.
