A car bomb attack in Pakistan has killed at least 13 soldiers and injured civilians. Pakistani officials said a suicide bomber drove a vehicle packed with explosives into a military convoy in the north-western tribal region of North Waziristan, near the border with Afghanistan, on Saturday. Pakistan alleged that the militants behind the attack were backed by India, but Delhi quickly denied this. Dismissing Pakistan's accusation, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesman for India's ministry of external affairs, posted on X: "We reject this statement with the contempt it deserves." The attack has been claimed by a suicide bomber wing of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur armed group, a faction of the Pakistan Taliban. Pakistan's army, however, said the attack was carried out by militants backed by India, without providing evidence. "In this tragic and barbaric incident, three innocent civilians including two children and a woman also got severely injured," the Pakistani army said in a statement. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the "cowardly act". Relations between the two nations have long been strained, but tensions deepened in April aftera deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmirleft 26 people dead. India blamed Pakistan for sheltering members of a militant group it said were behind the attack, and the incident brought the two nuclear-armed countries to the brink of another war. In May, India launched a series of airstrikes, targeting sites it called "terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir". Pakistan denied the claim that these were terror camps and also responded by firing missiles and deploying drones into Indian territory. The hostilities continued until 10 May when US President Donald Trump announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate ceasefire". Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist incidents following the collapse of the ceasefire agreement between the government and the Pakistani Taliban in November 2022.
Car bomb attack in Pakistan kills at least 13 soldiers
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"Car Bomb Attack in North Waziristan Kills 13 Pakistani Soldiers"
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TruthLens AI Summary
A devastating car bomb attack in North Waziristan, Pakistan, has resulted in the deaths of at least 13 soldiers, alongside injuries to several civilians, including two children and a woman. The attack occurred when a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into a military convoy on Saturday, a tactic increasingly employed by militant groups in the region. The Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction of the Pakistan Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack. In response to the incident, Pakistan's military accused India of backing the militants involved, a claim that India has vehemently denied. Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson for India's ministry of external affairs, rejected the allegations, emphasizing that they do not deserve any serious consideration. This exchange reflects the ongoing tension between the two countries, which have a history of conflict and mutual accusations regarding terrorism and military aggression.
The attack has intensified existing strains in Indo-Pak relations, particularly following a deadly incident in April that killed 26 people in Indian-administered Kashmir, which India attributed to Pakistan-based militants. Subsequent to that incident, India conducted airstrikes targeting what it described as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, an action that was met with missile responses from Pakistan. The situation escalated until a ceasefire was brokered by the United States in May, halting hostilities temporarily. However, the recent bombing highlights the fragile security environment in Pakistan, especially after the breakdown of a ceasefire with the Pakistani Taliban in November 2022. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack as a “cowardly act,” underscoring the tragic impact of violence on both military personnel and civilians in the region. As Pakistan grapples with a resurgence of terrorist activities, the implications for national security and regional stability remain significant and concerning.
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