WANA, August 7, 2025: At least two people were killed and 20 others injured, including several police officers, in a bomb blast targeting a police vehicle in the Rustam Bazaar area of Wana, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Lower South Waziristan district, on Thursday.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Imranullah, the explosion was caused by a remote-controlled improvised explosive device (IED) planted near a police vehicle. The blast occurred in the bustling commercial area of Rustam Bazaar.
Data from Wana District Headquarters Hospital confirmed two fatalities. Of the 20 injured, 12 sustained serious injuries while eight suffered minor wounds. Among the injured policemen were Zubair Salaam Khan from Dabkot and Fareedun Zubair from Birmal Tehsil, according to a casualty report released by South Waziristan police spokesperson Anayat Khan.
District Police Officer (DPO) Tahir Khan said the injured were immediately moved to the hospital for treatment. He added that the area was cordoned off shortly after the blast, and a search operation was launched to trace those responsible. Authorities are also investigating the exact nature and make of the explosive device used.
The attack is part of a disturbing resurgence in militant activity across KP, especially in the tribal belt. The escalation follows the collapse of the ceasefire between the Pakistani government and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in 2022. Law enforcement personnel, police posts, and security forces have increasingly come under attack.
Just a day earlier, two people — including a police constable — were injured when the vehicle of Upper South Waziristan’s Deputy Commissioner Asmatullah Wazir was targeted in Ladha tehsil. That same day, four security personnel and a policeman were among seven killed in separate gun attacks in Karak and Peshawar districts.
On Tuesday, unidentified attackers also fired a rocket at a Scout camp in Wana. Although the projectile missed its target, the attack sparked fear among local residents.
Last Sunday, a deadly clash between militants of the TTP’s Gul Bahadar group and family members of tribal elder Malik Ashiq Noor in Birmal tehsil left three people dead, including two militant commanders and the elder’s brother.
The blast in Rustam Bazaar comes amid growing local concerns over the open display of firearms and the unregulated movement of armed individuals in the area. Authorities have said that stricter enforcement measures will soon be introduced to prevent further deterioration of the law-and-order situation in Wana, a key commercial center in the region.
In a separate incident, a police officer was injured during a late-night terrorist attack on the Khuni Khel police post in KP’s Bannu district. According to DPO Saleem Abbas Kulachi, police personnel repelled the assault with the help of local residents, who also took up positions against the attackers.
“The bravery of the local population alongside police forces was commendable,” the DPO said, adding that the operation to track the attackers was ongoing.
The APP reported that the attackers were from the banned outfits TTP and Tehreek-i-Jihad Afghanistan (TTG), operating jointly under the name Al-Ittihad al-Mujahideen. The terrorists used both light and heavy weaponry during the assault.
Bannu, along with other districts including Peshawar, Lakki Marwat, Karak, and Bajaur, has witnessed an uptick in terror-related violence over the past few months. Last week, an exchange of fire at a police checkpoint in Bannu left three militants and one constable dead, while three more officers were injured.
Security forces have also reported multiple drone and quadcopter attacks attributed to the TTP in Bannu, signaling a shift in tactics by militant groups operating in the region.
