At least 14 people, including five police officers and four civilians, were killed and more than 20 others injured in a suicide bombing near a police station in Pakistan’s north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday.
The explosion occurred outside Kabal Police Station in Swat district as hundreds of people took part in the Swat Peace Rally, organised by the Swat Aman Jirga, a local tribal council. Participants were marching through the town carrying placards and chanting slogans calling for peace and condemning militancy when the attacker struck.
District Police Officer Omar Khan confirmed that five police personnel were among those killed. Rescue teams and security forces rushed to the scene, transporting the injured to nearby hospitals while police sealed off the area and launched an investigation.
Videos shared on social media appeared to show large crowds marching before the blast. Footage captured thick smoke rising above the area, damaged vehicles, scattered debris and emergency responders treating the wounded. Residents were also seen helping victims before ambulances arrived.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
No group immediately claimed responsibility. However, suspicion is expected to fall on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out numerous attacks in the country. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban administration of providing sanctuary to TTP militants, an allegation Kabul denies.
The attack comes amid a renewed surge in militant violence across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in districts bordering Afghanistan, where police, security forces and civilians have increasingly been targeted in bombings and armed assaults.
