Suicide bomber targets truck carrying troops in northwestern Pakistan, wounding 8 people
Security personnel gather at the site of the bomb blast in Hayatabad area of Peshawar. AFP
The attack took place in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan and is a former stronghold of the militant Pakistani Taliban group, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks on security forces in recent months.
The military truck was badly damaged. Police did not give any details about any troop casualties.
A senior police officer in the city, Waqas Rafique, said the victims were taken to a nearby hospital and that the attack also damaged other nearby vehicles carrying civilians.
The Pakistani Taliban —also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP — are a separate group but an ally of the Afghan Taliban.
The TTP has become emboldened since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and NaTo troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war.
Associated Press
