At least 12 security personnel were killed and 30 others injured after a bomb exploded near a military checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to reports. The attack comes days after a deadly assault on Kohat Police Lines, as Pakistan faces another spell of militant violence across its northwestern region near the Afghan border.
The latest bombing comes just over a week after a major attack on the Police Lines compound in Kohat on September 18. Later reports from Pakistani officials put the Kohat death toll at at least 21, including 15 police personnel and six civilians. More than 100 people were injured.
Pakistani authorities had also not released a full account of the incident at the time of writing.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said an explosives-laden vehicle had been rammed into the Old Police Lines before the blast. Details about the type of explosive used and how the attackers targeted the checkpoint were not immediately clear. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has faced repeated militant attacks, with police, military personnel and government facilities among the targets. Dera Ismail Khan and other districts close to the Afghan border have seen frequent violence involving armed groups. An explosives-laden vehicle was driven into the Old Police Lines gate during Friday prayers. Armed attackers then tried to enter the compound, leading to a gun battle with police and security forces. Security forces later carried out a clearance operation inside the compound.
