13 killed in suicide attack in Pak’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

<p> Peshawar, Jun 28 (PTI): At least 13 security personnel were killed and three others injured in a suicide attack on Saturday in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military’s media wing said.</p><p> The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, “In a cowardly attack, planned and orchestrated by terrorists, a security forces convoy was targeted today in the general area of Mir Ali, North Waziristan district.” A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle belonging to the Bomb Disposal Unit early this morning in Khaddi village.</p><p> Fourteen civilians, including women and children, were injured, with several said to be in critical condition.</p><p> A curfew was imposed in the area at the time of the incident due to ongoing military movement, security sources said.</p><p> Security agencies launched a rescue operation following the explosion.</p><p> The militant group Usud al-Harb, a sub-faction of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, has claimed responsibility for the attack, they added.</p><p> Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, has strongly condemned the suicide attack.</p><p> “We salute the brave security personnel and their families who have sacrificed their lives for the nation,” said the chief minister.</p><p> This incident is being described as one of the deadliest in North Waziristan in recent months and has raised serious concerns about the security situation in the region.</p><p> Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, following the collapse of the ceasefire agreement between the government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in November 2022.</p><p> Militant attacks and counter-terrorism operations surged in March 2025, with the number of terrorist incidents crossing 100 for the first time since November 2014, a Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies report said.</p><p> Pakistan ranked second on the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with terror-related deaths rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081. PTI AYZ RD GSP GSP</p><p><i>(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)</i></p>