Blast in northwestern Pakistan’s Peshawar city kills two, injures one

Security personnel gather at the site of the bomb blast in Hayatabad area of Peshawar on July 18, 2023. (AFP/File)
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Updated 10 March 2024
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Blast in northwestern Pakistan’s Peshawar city kills two, injures one

  • Police, rescue official say blast was caused by explosive material fitted into a motorcycle
  • Pakistan has seen an uptick in violence in its KP, Balochistan provinces since November 2022

ISLAMABAD: Two people were killed while one was injured on Sunday morning when a blast ripped through a busy road in northwestern Pakistan’s Peshawar city, police and a rescue officials confirmed. 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi wrote on social media platform X that the blast occurred at provincial capital Peshawar’s Nasir Bagh Road, after which ambulances were dispatched to the area. 

“Two people have been killed while one has been injured,” Faizi wrote on X. “Rescue 1122 has shifted all persons to the hospital.”

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Kashif Aftab Abbasi confirmed the death toll, saying that as per initial investigations, the blast occurred due to explosives fitted into a motorcycle. 

“Our Bomb Disposal Squad and investigative officers are inspecting the site of the blast,” Abbasi told reporters. “As soon as they reach a final conclusion, we will let you know.” 

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in militant violence in its western KP and Balochistan provinces that share their border with the neighboring state of Afghanistan.

While no group has yet claimed responsibility for Sunday’s blast, banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have carried out some of the deadliest attacks against the country’s security forces and civilians since 2007. 

The surge in militant activities, including deadly suicide bombings, followed after the TTP, a conglomerate of armed factions, called off a fragile ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

Pakistani security forces have carried out several security operations in recent months to deal with militants hiding in the remote areas of the two provinces.

On Saturday, Pakistan Army’s media wing said security forces killed 10 militants and injured three others in two separate operations in the country’s North Waziristan tribal district. 


Islamabad says over 580 Afghan Taliban militants killed as Pakistan, Afghanistan fighting continues

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Islamabad says over 580 Afghan Taliban militants killed as Pakistan, Afghanistan fighting continues

  • Clashes between the two countries began on Feb. 26 when Afghan forces launched an attack on Pakistani military installations
  • Islamabad has since been pounding parts of Afghanistan where it says militant targets are present, Kabul denies the allegation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has killed 583 Afghan Taliban fighters, wounded more than 795 and struck 64 locations inside Afghanistan in air attacks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday, as fighting between the two neighbors entered the second week.

Clashes between the two countries began on Feb. 26 when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border.

Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.

“Summary of Afghan Taliban losses: 583 Killed, 795+ Injured, 242 Check posts destroyed, 38 Posts captured & destroyed, 213 tanks, armored vehicles, artillery guns destroyed,” Tarar said on X.

The statement came hours after Pakistan’s security forces successfully foiled an infiltration attempt by militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border in the

Chaman sector, according to a security official. The group, estimated to comprise three to four militant formations, attempted to breach the border fence under the cover of darkness.

“Troops detected the movement in time and engaged the militants as they attempted to cut through the border fence,” said the security official, seeking anonymity. “During the exchange of fire, one foreign terrorist was killed while the remaining militants fled the area.”

Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering militant groups such as the TTP on its soil and facilitating attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the allegations and has urged Islamabad to address its security challenges without blaming Kabul.

Afghanistan has called for dialogue to resolve the conflict. Pakistan, however, has rejected talks with Kabul, saying its operation “Ghazab Lil Haq” — meaning Wrath for Truth — will continue until its objectives are achieved.

Since the conflict began, diplomatic efforts have intensified, with several countries and international bodies, including the European Union and the United Nations, urging restraint and calling for talks.