At least 14 people, including five police officers and four civilians, lost their lives, while more than two dozen others were injured in a suicide bombing near the Kabal Police Station in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday. The explosion took place as the Swat Peace Rally moved through Kabal town in Swat district, where demonstrators had assembled to call for peace and protest against militancy.
According to the Associated Press, the suicide bomber struck as rally participants marched past the police station, raising slogans against militant groups. Swat district police chief Omar Khan confirmed that at least five police personnel were among those killed.
Authorities confirmed the blast was a suicide attack, following which police, rescue teams and security forces rushed to the site and launched an investigation. The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals, while the area was sealed off by law enforcement agencies.
The Swat Peace Rally had been organised by the Swat Aman Jirga, a local tribal council. Participants carried placards and chanted slogans demanding lasting peace in the region, which has witnessed worsening security conditions in recent months.
VIDEOS CAPTURE AFTERMATH OF EXPLOSION
Videos shared on social media appeared to show hundreds of people participating in the rally moments before the explosion. Shortly after the blast, visuals showed panic among the crowd as thick smoke rose into the sky and people scrambled to safety.
Later footage showed damaged vehicles, debris strewn across the road, and emergency personnel rushing to assist. Ambulances evacuated the injured while security forces secured the area. Several bystanders were also seen helping victims as crowds gathered near the blast site.
PAKISTAN CONDEMNS BOMBING
Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, offering condolences to the families of those killed and wishing a speedy recovery to those injured, according to the Associated Press.
No organisation immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. However, suspicion is expected to fall on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Associated Press reported. Although separate from Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, the TTP is considered an allied group. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan of sheltering TTP militants, an allegation Kabul has consistently rejected.
The Swat Valley was once under the control of Islamist militants who enforced a strict version of Sharia law before the Pakistani military launched a large-scale operation in 2007 that drove them out and restored state control, according to the Associated Press.
Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent years, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where police personnel, security forces and civilians have increasingly been targeted in bombings and armed assaults. The province, which shares a border with Afghanistan, remains on high alert amid renewed militant activity.
