A roadside bomb detonated in the vicinity of Peshawar, north of Pakistan, killing a security officer and wounding nine others, including civilians, according to Pakistani police sources.
The explosion occurred near a vehicle transporting a group of soldiers, said Bilal Ahmed Faizi, the police spokesperson. The blast injured three passersby, who were then rushed to Peshawar’s military hospital.
The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), often referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack, as reported by the Associated Press. The group has escalated its assaults against security forces since unilaterally withdrawing from a ceasefire agreement with the government last November.
While the TTP operates independently from its counterpart in neighboring Afghanistan, the two share an alliance. The Afghan Taliban seized power following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan in August 2021. This development seemingly inspired the TTP to intensify their attacks, occasionally near the Afghan border.
Despite the Pakistani military’s claims of having cleared the northwestern region of militants, attacks persist. This could suggest a resurgence or reorganization of the TTP in the area.
