PESHAWAR: At least eight security personnel were martyred in a suicide blast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district on Saturday, according to a statement issued by the KP chief minister’s office, updating the previous toll of four injured.
According to the statement, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the attack, which took place in the Mir Ali area in North Waziristan, and expressed his condolences and prayers for the martyrdom of the personnel.
“I salute security personnel and their families who have sacrificed their lives for the country and the nation,” Gandapur was quoted as saying.
“Security forces have made unprecedented sacrifices to establish peace in the country and eliminate terrorism,” the CM added. “These sacrifices further raise the resolve and morale of the nation against terrorism.
“Everyone in the nation stands with security forces in the war against terrorism,” the statement concluded.
Earlier, District Police Officer (DPO) Waqar Ahmed toldDawn.comthat four civilians were injured in the “suicide attack” carried out through a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.
The attack comes days after two soldiers were martyred and11 terroristswere killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in KP’s South Waziristan district.
No one has so far claimed responsibility.
On June 15, a Frontier Corps (FC) soldier wasmartyredin a targeted gun attack in Ladha tehsil of Upper South Waziristan district.
Earlier this month,14 terroristswere killed in North Waziristan’s Datta Khel town during a security operation.
Militant groups were unable to significantly escalate their activities in the country last month, according to datareleasedby the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, which recorded 85 attacks in May compared to 81 in April.
The military has said India wasusing its “assets”to intensify terrorist attacks in Pakistan, with ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry detailing “irrefutable evidence” of an Indian military personnel’s involvement.
Pakistan has witnessed anuptickin terror activities, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the TTPendedits ceasefire with the government in November 2022.
The country rankedsecondin the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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