Twelve people were killed and 35 others injured in a suicide attack on a roadside checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan, northwestern Pakistan, on Saturday, according to Pakistan’s official news agency.
Footage shows ambulances carrying the dead and injured arriving at Mufti Mahmood Memorial Teaching Hospital. Crowds can be seen gathering as security officers deploy outside, while a doctor examines the wounded.
“In the Darazinda area, there is a police checkpoint, and there are often other personnel present there. A suicide attack was carried out at this checkpoint by unknown individuals,” resident Shahid Shirani recounted.
“The victims of the incident are mostly ordinary people and travelers from Bannu and Balochistan,” he added.
Pakistan’s official news agency reported that the blast targeted the joint Aman Mela checkpoint in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The agency said nine men, two women and a child were killed, while the blast heavily damaged the checkpoint and destroyed a nearby house. Heavy gunfire was also reported in the aftermath.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the suicide attack on the Aman Mela checkpoint. In a post on X, the Interior Ministry described it as a ‘designated anti-smuggling checkpoint.’
Source: Viory
