Blast kills six in northwest Pakistan as forces foil militant crossings

An explosion in northwest Pakistan killed six people on Monday, coinciding with intensified security operations against militants along the Afghan border.

At least six people were killed and over a dozen others injured in an explosion near the office of a “peace committee” in Wana, the main town of South Waziristan tribal district, officials said on Monday. The blast occurred in a region close to the border with Afghanistan, but no immediate claim of responsibility was made.

Police reported that thirteen injured individuals, some critically, were transported to a local hospital. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

Separately, security forces killed 17 militants allegedly attempting to cross into Pakistan from neighbouring Afghanistan. This followed the killing of 71 suspected militants over the past three days in the North Waziristan tribal district, according to a statement by the Pakistani army.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, stressing that such actions would not hinder the country’s commitment to combating terrorism. South Waziristan is recognised as the birthplace of the outlawed Tehreek-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a coalition of militant groups operating within the country.

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