12 Killed In Suicide Bombing At Police Checkpost In Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan

A suicide bombing at a police checkpost in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province killed 12 people and injured 35 others on Saturday, Dawn News reported quoting officials.

The attack took place at the Aman Mela police checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan’s Darazinda tehsil when an explosives-laden tractor trolley was rammed into the facility, police said.

Dera Ismail Khan Regional Police Officer (RPO) Ghulam Mubashir Maken said the initial assessment confirmed the casualties. He added that no police or security personnel were among those killed. The victims included a Customs official and civilians — nine men, two women and a minor.

Dera Ismail Khan District Police Officer (DPO) Ziauddin Ahmed confirmed that the blast was a suicide attack, as reported by Dawn News.

The explosion severely damaged the checkpost and destroyed a nearby house. Residents said the blast was heard from a long distance, while heavy firing was reported after the attack.

The Aman Mela checkpost, located near Mughal Kot and Darazinda on the DI Khan-Quetta Road, is used for security checks and monitoring movement in the area near the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Balochistan border.

Rescue teams evacuated the injured, with 25 people shifted to the district headquarters hospital, officials said. More than 25 personnel, six ambulances and a fire vehicle were deployed for relief operations, while additional ambulances were sent from Dera Ismail Khan.

A bomb disposal team examined the site to determine the nature of the explosives and collect evidence. Police officials, including DPO Ahmed and the Saddar area superintendent of police, supervised the rescue operation.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi sought a report from senior officials and directed authorities to ensure medical treatment for the injured.

President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the families of those killed. He directed authorities to strengthen relief operations and provide medical assistance to the injured.

“Making innocent citizens and law enforcement personnel a target of terrorism is highly condemnable,” Zardari said, according to a statement from the Presidency.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack, describing it as a suicide bombing at the Aman Mela checkpost.

“The cowardly acts of kharjis cannot weaken the nation’s firm resolve against terrorism,” Naqvi said.

The attack comes amid a rise in militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where security forces and law enforcement agencies have faced repeated attacks in recent months.

Earlier this month, police said they had foiled an attack on a checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan’s Daraban area. On September 18, an attack at the old Police Lines in Kohat killed 23 people and injured around 100 others.

According to data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), mainland Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 54 terrorist attacks in August, compared with 36 in July.