Most of those killed and injured were members of the security forces, according to police.
Published on September 26, 2026
At least 12 people were killed and 30 injured in a suicide attack at a roadside police checkpoint in northwest Pakistan, police told Al Jazeera.
The attack took place on Saturday in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police said.
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Police chief Safdar Baloch said most of those killed and injured were security forces and bystanders. Agents, customs officers and members of the forestry service were among the dead.
Among the injured were police officers, customs officers and at least two civilians, police said.
The blast occurred near Aman Mela in Darazinda area of the district, Rescue 1122 said in a statement.
Rescue teams from Darazinda station arrived at the scene and began rescue operations, providing medical assistance to the injured and transporting them to hospital, the department said.
Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Islamabad, said a vehicle loaded with explosives was rammed into the checkpoint. According to some reports, the explosion was preceded by gunfire from attackers.
No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion fell on the Pakistani Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, our correspondent said.
The armed group and its affiliates have recently launched several attacks in the region.
The TTP is separate from but closely allied with the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Bin Javaid said the checkpoint was an important target because a large contingent of officials is still stationed there.
Dera Ismail Khan lies at the crossroads of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, and the large flow of goods means customs officials are deployed alongside police to prevent smuggling, he said.
The district is also close to South Waziristan, which has been a hub of armed attacks for over a decade and where Pakistani forces have launched a number of military operations, he added.
Pakistan has seen an increase in armed attacks in recent years, many of which are claimed by the TTP and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a banned separatist group primarily active in neighboring Balochistan province.
Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing TTP members to operate from Afghan soil and have demanded that Kabul prevent cross-border attacks into Pakistan. Kabul has denied these accusations.
The Pakistani government has not officially announced its reaction. But Bin Javaid said his strategy was to respond to the attacks with a security cordon and a counter-offensive, including cross-border strikes against suspected masterminds in Afghanistan.
The latest attack comes two days after fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan along their southwest border killed at least 13 Afghan Taliban fighters, according to the Pakistani government. It is the latest escalation between the neighboring countries, following Pakistani strikes on suspected hideouts of armed groups in Afghanistan this week.
The resumption of hostilities threatens mediation efforts by China, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia aimed at securing lasting peace between the two countries.
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