Death toll from suicide bombing at wedding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rises to seven | World News

The death toll in a suicide attack at a wedding in Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has risen to seven and seven others were injured, local media reported on Sunday, citing police and Rescue 1122 officials.

The explosion targeted the residence of Peace Committee chairman Noor Alam Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan district late on Friday. Mehsud himself was injured in the incident. Police said guests were performing a traditional drum dance when the explosion occurred after a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a room and part of the building collapsed, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported.

According to the information provided by Rescue 1122 officials, upon the notice of the explosion, many ambulances, fire brigades and disaster response vehicles were dispatched to the scene. While rescue teams continued their work to clear the debris, the bodies of the dead and injured were taken to hospitals.

District police officer Sajjad Ahmed Sahibzada said the suicide attacker’s head was recovered from the scene. While security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation, reinforcement police teams were dispatched to the district and its surroundings.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi strongly condemned the suicide blast and sought an immediate report from the provincial police chief. He also directed the authorities concerned to ensure that the injured have the best possible medical facilities.

Calling the incident “unfortunate”, he said that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice, Pakistani daily The Express Tribune reported.

The provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which share a border with Afghanistan, have been particularly affected by such attacks in recent times.

This is not the first time Mehsud, chairman of the Mehsud Peace Committee in South Waziristan, has been targeted.

In 2022, two suicide bombers tried to attack his office in Dera Ismail Khan. According to a report by The Express Tribune, both attackers were killed outside the office and peace committee volunteers successfully thwarted the attempt.

In December last year, 3 police officers lost their lives in a bomb attack on a police vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan.

According to data released by the Center for Research and Security Studies, there was a more than 25 percent increase in overall violence in Pakistan last year; There were at least 3,187 deaths and 1,981 injuries in violence involving civilians, security forces and criminals.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emerged as the worst-hit region, accounting for nearly 68 percent, or 2,165, of the total violence-related deaths in the country and more than 62 percent, or 732, of all reported incidents. The number of deaths during security operations in the state stood at 1,370, exceeding the number of deaths due to militant attacks at 795 by 72 percent.