Suicide Blast Kills 12 at DI Khan Checkpost; Ambulance Attacked

A suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden tractor-trolley into the Aman Mela police checkpost in Darazinda tehsil, Dera Ismail Khan, on Saturday. The blast killed 12 people — nine men, two women and a minor — and injured 35 others, according to Regional Police Officer Ghulam Mubashir Maken. No law-enforcement personnel were among the dead, though a Customs official was killed.

The explosion destroyed much of the checkpost and levelled an adjacent house. Heavy gunfire followed the blast. RPO Maken said 25 of the injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital, while Excise Officer Faheem Wazir confirmed excise staff at the post were unharmed.

“No law enforcement or security personnel were among the deceased.”

Later, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Rescue 1122 ambulance transporting victims' bodies near the site. Two rescue workers, Sharifullah and Imtiaz, were killed and a third, Anees, was seriously wounded. Rescue teams continued operations despite the attack.

The checkpost sits on the DI Khan-Quetta Road near the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Balochistan border and is used for security screening. A bomb disposal team was deployed to analyse the blast. Mobile phone service in the area was reported down during the rescue effort.

State broadcaster Radio Pakistan attributed the attack to "Fitna al Khawarij," the government's term for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Security forces have launched an operation against the perpetrators.