A suicide attack on a security facility in Pakistan’s northwestern region has killed 23 soldiers, raising concerns about security weeks before national elections.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Anisul Hassan said a terrorist in an explosives-laden car had crashed into a building in Dera Ismail Khan housing police and army personnel early Tuesday morning. He said 25 people were injured in the attack.
Increasing terrorist attacks in the South Asian country have raised security concerns ahead of elections scheduled for 8 February. A number of politicians, including former President Asif Ali Zardari, who is trying to bring his Pakistan People’s Party to power for the fifth time, have publicly said they want increased security because they cannot hold public rallies and meetings. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, terrorist incidents rose 37 per cent to 862 in 2023 from the previous year. The army’s media wing said in a statement:
“A group of six terrorists attacked a security forces’ post. The attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted, which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the post.”
Army officials said all six attackers were killed.
The Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, an affiliate of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack, the militant group said in a statement on WhatsApp.
