6 Killed, 10 injured in suicide blast at wedding in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Islamabad (The Uttam Hindu): A suicide attack struck a wedding ceremony in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, killing at least six people and injuring more than 10. The incident occurred late Friday night in Dera Ismail Khan district, local media reported on Saturday.

The attack targeted the home of Noor Alam Mehsud, head of the Aman (Peace) Committee. A wedding ceremony was underway there at the time. Noor Alam Mehsud was also injured in the incident. The explosion caused chaos at the wedding venue.

According to major broadcaster Geo News, several people were injured in the blast and were immediately taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Police say they are gathering full details of the blast, but initial investigations suggest it was a suicide attack. Police also say the attackers opened fire after the blast.

After the incident, investigation teams and forensic experts remained at the spot for several hours and collected evidence to trace the attacker and the network behind him.

According to a report in the leading Pakistani daily, The Express Tribune, police and security officials said the severed head of the suicide bomber was recovered from the blast site. The attacker was reportedly around 17 years old. The head has been taken into custody for examination and identification.

KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi strongly condemned the suicide attack. He sought an immediate report from the provincial police chief and directed officials to provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured. The Chief Minister described the incident as unfortunate and said those responsible for the attack would not be spared under any circumstances.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which border Afghanistan, have been the hardest hit by such attacks in recent times. This wasn't the first time Noor Alam Mehsud, head of the Mehsud Peace Committee in South Waziristan, had been targeted. Previously, in 2022, two suicide bombers attempted to attack his office in Dera Ismail Khan. However, both attackers were killed that time and the attack was foiled.

Last month, a bomb attack on a police vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan also killed three policemen. According to data released by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, overall violence in Pakistan increased by more than 25 percent last year, with at least 3,187 deaths and 1,981 injuries in violence involving civilians, security forces, and criminals.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suffered the most in these cases, where about 68 percent of the total deaths and 62 percent of the incidents were recorded.