Mir Ali, June 28, 2025: At least 16 soldiers were martyred and more than two dozen others — including civilians and security personnel — were injured in a deadly suicide bombing targeting a military convoy in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan on Friday, officials confirmed.
The suicide attack, claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group — a faction aligned with the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — involved an explosives-laden vehicle ramming into a convoy in a densely populated locality.
“A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy,” a senior local government official in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa told AFP on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak publicly.
The initial death toll of 13 soldiers was later revised to 16, as several succumbed to their injuries. More than two dozen individuals were wounded, including civilians, with several reported to be in critical condition.
The powerful blast caused significant collateral damage, collapsing the roofs of two nearby homes and injuring six children, according to a local police officer.
The attack has been widely condemned across the country. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and offered prayers for the martyred personnel.
“I salute the security personnel and their families who have sacrificed their lives for the country,” Gandapur said in a statement. “Our forces have made unprecedented sacrifices to restore peace and eliminate terrorism. These sacrifices strengthen the resolve and morale of the nation.”
“The entire nation stands with the security forces in the war against terrorism,” he added.
This incident marks one of the deadliest militant attacks in Pakistan this year, underscoring the persistent threat from militant groups operating in the region. According to AFP, around 290 people, most of them security personnel, have been killed in insurgent attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since the start of 2025.
The Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, which operates along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, has intensified its activities in recent years despite ongoing counterterrorism operations by the Pakistani military.
As of Saturday evening, no official statement had been released by the military. Rescue and relief operations remain underway, with the injured being transported to nearby hospitals for emergency care.
