On Monday, a strong bomb detonated outside the company of a pro-government harmony committee in South Waziristan, west Pakistan, killing at least seven people and injuring 16 others.
Wana, the major city in the South Waziristan area, a area once regarded as a haven for the Pakistani Taliban, was the site of the explosion.
The Associated Press quoted Usman Wazir, a local police chief, as saying that the bomb specifically targeted the peace committee office, which publicly supports the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan ( TTP). Additionally, the committee assists in the resolution of neighborhood issues. Authorities said the blast was “powerful,” leaving a lot of people dead and property damage at the scene.
No one instantly took responsibility for the strike. But, suspicion immediately turned toward the TTP, which often targets protection forces, civilians, and organizations seen as working with the Muslim state.
Although a specific entity, the Pakistani Taliban still has close ties to the Afghan Taliban, who seized control of Afghanistan in 2021 with the departure of US and NATO forces.
The explosion occurred a moment after Pakistan’s military announced that an operation in the nearby North Waziristan city had resulted in the killing of 54 insurgents. These insurgents attempted to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan, according to AP, which added to the ongoing unrest along the Pakistan-Afghanistan borders.
Islamabad has been particularly concerned about the Pakistani Taliban’s revival, especially given that many of its soldiers and officials have fled to Afghanistan since the Taliban’s rule.
Pakistan’s security position is still uncomfortable in other areas as well. The Balochistan Liberation Army ( BLA ) made a separate claim in Balochistan province that a deadly roadside bomb attack on April 25 had killed ten Pakistani military personnel and injured three others in Quetta.
A remote-controlled Alert was used in the attack, according to the BLA, to target a club vehicle for bomb disposal.
Rebel teams from various provinces continue to threaten Pakistan. The TTP concentrates primarily on the border and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa areas, but the BLA has carried out a number of fatal attacks in Balochistan.
