RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has condemned Friday’s bombing of a security checkpoint in northwest Pakistan, in which at least 16 people were killed, most of them security personnel.
The foreign ministry reaffirmed the country’s “firm rejection of violence, terrorism and extremism in all their forms” and expressed solidarity with Pakistan.
The killings happened when a suicide bomber, supported by armed militants, targeted a security point in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. The area has seen a sharp rise in militant violence in recent years.
The ministry extended its condolences to the families of the victims.
Pakistani authorities said the attackers attempted to storm the post before detonating an explosives-laden vehicle at its perimeter.
Security forces said they repelled the assault and killed several of the attackers. They blamed the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and allied militant groups for much of the violence.
The group did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack.
