(AP) — A roadside bomb targeting a police vehicle killed four people, including two police officers, and wounded about two dozen others in Pakistan’s volatile northwest near the Afghan border, authorities said.
The explosion struck in the city of Wana in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local police.
Police official Asghar Shah said the blast occurred as a police vehicle passed through the area, indicating that security forces were likely the intended target of the attack.
Among the dead were two police officers and two civilians who happened to be nearby when the explosion occurred, Shah said.
Emergency responders rushed the wounded to nearby hospitals, where several victims were being treated for injuries.
No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.
However, suspicion is likely to fall on Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban or TTP.
The militant group has carried out numerous attacks against Pakistani security forces, particularly in the country’s northwestern tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.
Although separate from the Afghan Taliban government, the TTP maintains ideological and operational ties with the group.
Pakistan has seen a sharp increase in militant violence in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and neighboring areas.
Security analysts say the rise in attacks has strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused militants from the TTP of operating from sanctuaries across the border in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
Pakistani officials argue that insurgents launch cross-border attacks from Afghan territory before retreating back across the frontier.
The Afghan Taliban government has repeatedly denied those allegations.
The mountainous tribal districts along the Afghanistan border have long been a hotspot for militant activity.
Despite multiple military operations over the past decade aimed at dismantling militant networks, attacks targeting police, soldiers and government officials continue to occur periodically.
Security forces have increased patrols and intelligence operations in recent months as militant groups intensify efforts to challenge state authority in the region.
Authorities said an investigation into the Wana bombing is underway as security agencies search for those responsible for the attack.
