CHARSADDA: A suicide bomber was killed when his explosive device detonated prematurely on a deserted road in the Umarzai area of Charsadda district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Thursday morning.
Local authorities confirmed that the blast resulted in no other casualties or damage.
The incident took place near Akhun Dheri close to the local police station as a police van traveled along Hari Chand Road. District police reported that the bomber, riding a motorcycle, detonated the explosives shortly after the police vehicle had passed, sparing both the officers and the vehicle.
Local police official Masood Khan noted that the bomber’s intended target remains unclear, and investigators are examining whether the explosives were worn by the bomber or attached to the motorcycle.
A large police contingent, along with a bomb disposal squad, promptly arrived at the scene, securing the area and beginning an inquiry. Police recovered evidence, including cash and an identification card, from the blast site, and security personnel are continuing their investigation in the surrounding area.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which shares a border with Afghanistan, has seen frequent attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who often target security forces through suicide bombings and other violence.
Though separate from the Afghan Taliban, the TTP have reportedly grown emboldened following the Afghan Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
This explosion follows a tragic incident just days earlier in Quetta, where a suicide bomber attacked a crowded train station, resulting in at least 26 deaths, including soldiers and railway staff, and injuring around 62 people.
