At least seven persons, including two traffic police personnel, were killed and 18 others injured in a powerful blast at Sarai Naurang Bazaar in Pakistan’s Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, police and rescue officials said.
Several of the injured were stated to be in critical condition, raising fears that the death toll could increase further.
Police suspect the explosion was caused by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) planted in the busy market area. However, no militant outfit had claimed responsibility for the attack at the time of filing this report.
The blast ripped through the crowded bazaar, triggering panic and damaging nearby shops and vehicles. Rescue teams and security personnel rushed to the area soon after the explosion and shifted the injured to nearby hospitals.
Among the dead were two traffic police officials deployed in the market area, according to local authorities.
The attack comes amid renewed security concerns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province that has witnessed frequent militant violence in recent years, particularly in districts bordering Afghanistan.
The latest bombing is likely to intensify scrutiny of Pakistan’s security situation after authorities earlier claimed that cross-border terrorist activity and major attacks had reduced following Islamabad’s aggressive posture toward terrorist sanctuaries near the Afghan border.
Pakistan in recent months had linked rising terrorism to the presence of armed groups operating from Afghan territory and had carried out cross-border strikes and heightened security operations, asserting that such measures had helped curb large-scale attacks.
However, Tuesday’s explosion in Lakki Marwat has again exposed the fragile security environment in the region and raised fears of a possible resurgence in militant violence.
Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to identify those behind the attack.
Further investigation is underway. [KNT]
At least seven killed and 18 injured in a blast at Sarai Naurang Bazaar in Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Toll expected to rise as several injured remain critical
The dead include two traffic police officers. Police suspect a vehicle-borne IED. No group has claimed… pic.twitter.com/P143J0l2mY
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