Bombing kills 13 Pakistani soldiers near Afghan border
An explosive-laden car has rammed into a Pakistani military convoy in a town near the Afghan border, killing at least 13 soldiers, sources said.
Four Pakistani intelligence officials and a senior local administrator told Reuters that the convoy was attacked on Saturday in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan district.
Around 10 other soldiers were wounded, some critically, and they were being flown to a military hospital, the sources said.
The office of the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said it was a suicide bombing, adding it killed eight security officials.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the bombing and offered condolences to the soldiers' families.
"It was huge, a big bang," the local administrator told Reuters, adding that residents of the town could see a large amount of smoke billowing from the scene from a great distance.
One resident said that the explosion rattled the windowpanes of nearby houses, and caused some roofs to collapse.
No one has so far claimed responsibility.
The Pakistani military did not respond to a Reuters request for a comment.
The lawless district that sits next to Afghanistan has long served as a safe haven for different Islamist militant groups, who operate on both sides of the border.
Islamabad says the militants run training camps in Afghanistan to launch attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies, saying the militancy is Pakistan's domestic issue.
Pakistani Taliban also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of several Islamist militant groups, has long been waging a war against Pakistan in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with its own Islamic system of governance.
The Pakistani military, which has launched several offensives against the militants, has mostly been their prime target.
An explosive-laden car has rammed into a Pakistani military convoy in a town near the Afghan border, killing at least 13 soldiers, sources said.
Four Pakistani intelligence officials and a senior local administrator told Reuters that the convoy was attacked on Saturday in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan district.
Around 10 other soldiers were wounded, some critically, and they were being flown to a military hospital, the sources said.
The office of the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said it was a suicide bombing, adding it killed eight security officials.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the bombing and offered condolences to the soldiers' families.
"It was huge, a big bang," the local administrator told Reuters, adding that residents of the town could see a large amount of smoke billowing from the scene from a great distance.
One resident said that the explosion rattled the windowpanes of nearby houses, and caused some roofs to collapse.
No one has so far claimed responsibility.
The Pakistani military did not respond to a Reuters request for a comment.
The lawless district that sits next to Afghanistan has long served as a safe haven for different Islamist militant groups, who operate on both sides of the border.
Islamabad says the militants run training camps in Afghanistan to launch attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies, saying the militancy is Pakistan's domestic issue.
Pakistani Taliban also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of several Islamist militant groups, has long been waging a war against Pakistan in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with its own Islamic system of governance.
The Pakistani military, which has launched several offensives against the militants, has mostly been their prime target.
An explosive-laden car has rammed into a Pakistani military convoy in a town near the Afghan border, killing at least 13 soldiers, sources said.
Four Pakistani intelligence officials and a senior local administrator told Reuters that the convoy was attacked on Saturday in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan district.
Around 10 other soldiers were wounded, some critically, and they were being flown to a military hospital, the sources said.
The office of the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said it was a suicide bombing, adding it killed eight security officials.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the bombing and offered condolences to the soldiers' families.
"It was huge, a big bang," the local administrator told Reuters, adding that residents of the town could see a large amount of smoke billowing from the scene from a great distance.
One resident said that the explosion rattled the windowpanes of nearby houses, and caused some roofs to collapse.
No one has so far claimed responsibility.
The Pakistani military did not respond to a Reuters request for a comment.
The lawless district that sits next to Afghanistan has long served as a safe haven for different Islamist militant groups, who operate on both sides of the border.
Islamabad says the militants run training camps in Afghanistan to launch attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies, saying the militancy is Pakistan's domestic issue.
Pakistani Taliban also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of several Islamist militant groups, has long been waging a war against Pakistan in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with its own Islamic system of governance.
The Pakistani military, which has launched several offensives against the militants, has mostly been their prime target.
An explosive-laden car has rammed into a Pakistani military convoy in a town near the Afghan border, killing at least 13 soldiers, sources said.
Four Pakistani intelligence officials and a senior local administrator told Reuters that the convoy was attacked on Saturday in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan district.
Around 10 other soldiers were wounded, some critically, and they were being flown to a military hospital, the sources said.
The office of the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said it was a suicide bombing, adding it killed eight security officials.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the bombing and offered condolences to the soldiers' families.
"It was huge, a big bang," the local administrator told Reuters, adding that residents of the town could see a large amount of smoke billowing from the scene from a great distance.
One resident said that the explosion rattled the windowpanes of nearby houses, and caused some roofs to collapse.
No one has so far claimed responsibility.
The Pakistani military did not respond to a Reuters request for a comment.
The lawless district that sits next to Afghanistan has long served as a safe haven for different Islamist militant groups, who operate on both sides of the border.
Islamabad says the militants run training camps in Afghanistan to launch attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies, saying the militancy is Pakistan's domestic issue.
Pakistani Taliban also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of several Islamist militant groups, has long been waging a war against Pakistan in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with its own Islamic system of governance.
The Pakistani military, which has launched several offensives against the militants, has mostly been their prime target.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
20 hours ago
- The Age
Taiwan's vice president went to Europe. China followed and ‘planned to stage car crash'
Prague: Taiwan's Vice President, Hsiao Bi-khim, says she won't be intimidated by China after Czech military intelligence said Chinese diplomats and secret service followed Hsiao and planned to intimidate her physically when she visited Prague last year. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic in March 2024. Prague does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan but has fostered warm relations with the democratically governed island, which China views as its own territory despite Taiwan's rejection. Czech media reported last year that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light when following her car. Czech public radio news website said last week that the Chinese had also planned to stage a demonstrative car crash. 'I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety. The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community,' Hsiao wrote in a post on X social media platform on Saturday, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Her post was linked to the Reuters report on the incident. In a separate post on X, Hsiao thanked global parliamentarians who have expressed solidarity against 'violence and coercion.' 'Taiwan will not be isolated by intimidation,' Hsiao wrote. Czech Military Intelligence spokesman said Chinese diplomats in Prague had taken actions that violated diplomatic rules. 'This consisted of physically following the vice president, gathering information on her schedule and attempts to document her meetings with important representatives of the Czech political and public scene,' spokesman Jan Pejsek said in emailed comments to Reuters.
Sydney Morning Herald
20 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Taiwan's vice president went to Europe. China followed and ‘planned to stage car crash'
Prague: Taiwan's Vice President, Hsiao Bi-khim, says she won't be intimidated by China after Czech military intelligence said Chinese diplomats and secret service followed Hsiao and planned to intimidate her physically when she visited Prague last year. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic in March 2024. Prague does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan but has fostered warm relations with the democratically governed island, which China views as its own territory despite Taiwan's rejection. Czech media reported last year that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light when following her car. Czech public radio news website said last week that the Chinese had also planned to stage a demonstrative car crash. 'I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety. The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community,' Hsiao wrote in a post on X social media platform on Saturday, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Her post was linked to the Reuters report on the incident. In a separate post on X, Hsiao thanked global parliamentarians who have expressed solidarity against 'violence and coercion.' 'Taiwan will not be isolated by intimidation,' Hsiao wrote. Czech Military Intelligence spokesman said Chinese diplomats in Prague had taken actions that violated diplomatic rules. 'This consisted of physically following the vice president, gathering information on her schedule and attempts to document her meetings with important representatives of the Czech political and public scene,' spokesman Jan Pejsek said in emailed comments to Reuters.
The Advertiser
21 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Serbian police clash with anti-government protesters
Serbian police have clashed with anti-government protesters demanding snap elections and an end to the 12-year rule of President Aleksandar Vucic. Police deployed scores of officers in riot gear around government buildings, parliament and nearby Pionirski Park, where throngs of Vucic's backers from across the nation gathered in a counter-protest. After the protest ended, some who wanted to confront Vucic's supporters threw bottles, rocks and flares at the police, who used force to disperse them in several locations across Belgrade's city centre. The protesters shouted: "Keep the shields down," calling on the police to stop intervening. Police detained several dozen demonstrators, while six officers were reported injured in clashes, Dragan Vasiljevic, the director of police, told a press conference late on Saturday local time. Vucic said protesters attempted to topple the state. "They wanted to topple Serbia, and they have failed," he wrote on his Instagram page. In a statement, students accused the government of escalating tensions. "They (authorities) ... opted for violence and repression against the people. Every radicalisation of the situation is their responsibility," students wrote on the X social media platform. In a statement, Ivica Dacic, the interior minister, said police will act to maintain public order. "The police will take all measures to establish public order and peace ... and apply all its powers to repel attacks, and arrest all those who attacked the police," Dacic said. Months of protests across the nation, including university shutdowns, have rattled Vucic, a populist, whose second term ends in 2027, when there are also parliamentary elections scheduled. Vucic's opponents accuse him and his allies of ties to organised crime, violence against rivals and curbing media freedoms, something they deny. Earlier on Saturday, Vucic said unspecified "foreign powers" were behind the protest. He said police should be restrained, but warned that violence will not be tolerated. "The country will be defended, and thugs will face justice," he told reporters in Belgrade. Sladjana Lojanovic, 37, a farmer from the town of Sid in the north, said she came to support students. "The institutions have been usurped and ... there is a lot of corruption. Elections are the solution, but I don't think he (Vucic) will want to go peacefully," she told Reuters. In the days ahead of the protest, police arrested about a dozen anti-government activists, charging them with undermining the constitution and terrorism. All denied the charges. The Belgrade rally coincides with St Vitus Day, venerated by most Serbs, which marks the 1389 Battle of Kosovo with Ottoman Turks. Serbian police have clashed with anti-government protesters demanding snap elections and an end to the 12-year rule of President Aleksandar Vucic. Police deployed scores of officers in riot gear around government buildings, parliament and nearby Pionirski Park, where throngs of Vucic's backers from across the nation gathered in a counter-protest. After the protest ended, some who wanted to confront Vucic's supporters threw bottles, rocks and flares at the police, who used force to disperse them in several locations across Belgrade's city centre. The protesters shouted: "Keep the shields down," calling on the police to stop intervening. Police detained several dozen demonstrators, while six officers were reported injured in clashes, Dragan Vasiljevic, the director of police, told a press conference late on Saturday local time. Vucic said protesters attempted to topple the state. "They wanted to topple Serbia, and they have failed," he wrote on his Instagram page. In a statement, students accused the government of escalating tensions. "They (authorities) ... opted for violence and repression against the people. Every radicalisation of the situation is their responsibility," students wrote on the X social media platform. In a statement, Ivica Dacic, the interior minister, said police will act to maintain public order. "The police will take all measures to establish public order and peace ... and apply all its powers to repel attacks, and arrest all those who attacked the police," Dacic said. Months of protests across the nation, including university shutdowns, have rattled Vucic, a populist, whose second term ends in 2027, when there are also parliamentary elections scheduled. Vucic's opponents accuse him and his allies of ties to organised crime, violence against rivals and curbing media freedoms, something they deny. Earlier on Saturday, Vucic said unspecified "foreign powers" were behind the protest. He said police should be restrained, but warned that violence will not be tolerated. "The country will be defended, and thugs will face justice," he told reporters in Belgrade. Sladjana Lojanovic, 37, a farmer from the town of Sid in the north, said she came to support students. "The institutions have been usurped and ... there is a lot of corruption. Elections are the solution, but I don't think he (Vucic) will want to go peacefully," she told Reuters. In the days ahead of the protest, police arrested about a dozen anti-government activists, charging them with undermining the constitution and terrorism. All denied the charges. The Belgrade rally coincides with St Vitus Day, venerated by most Serbs, which marks the 1389 Battle of Kosovo with Ottoman Turks. Serbian police have clashed with anti-government protesters demanding snap elections and an end to the 12-year rule of President Aleksandar Vucic. Police deployed scores of officers in riot gear around government buildings, parliament and nearby Pionirski Park, where throngs of Vucic's backers from across the nation gathered in a counter-protest. After the protest ended, some who wanted to confront Vucic's supporters threw bottles, rocks and flares at the police, who used force to disperse them in several locations across Belgrade's city centre. The protesters shouted: "Keep the shields down," calling on the police to stop intervening. Police detained several dozen demonstrators, while six officers were reported injured in clashes, Dragan Vasiljevic, the director of police, told a press conference late on Saturday local time. Vucic said protesters attempted to topple the state. "They wanted to topple Serbia, and they have failed," he wrote on his Instagram page. In a statement, students accused the government of escalating tensions. "They (authorities) ... opted for violence and repression against the people. Every radicalisation of the situation is their responsibility," students wrote on the X social media platform. In a statement, Ivica Dacic, the interior minister, said police will act to maintain public order. "The police will take all measures to establish public order and peace ... and apply all its powers to repel attacks, and arrest all those who attacked the police," Dacic said. Months of protests across the nation, including university shutdowns, have rattled Vucic, a populist, whose second term ends in 2027, when there are also parliamentary elections scheduled. Vucic's opponents accuse him and his allies of ties to organised crime, violence against rivals and curbing media freedoms, something they deny. Earlier on Saturday, Vucic said unspecified "foreign powers" were behind the protest. He said police should be restrained, but warned that violence will not be tolerated. "The country will be defended, and thugs will face justice," he told reporters in Belgrade. Sladjana Lojanovic, 37, a farmer from the town of Sid in the north, said she came to support students. "The institutions have been usurped and ... there is a lot of corruption. Elections are the solution, but I don't think he (Vucic) will want to go peacefully," she told Reuters. In the days ahead of the protest, police arrested about a dozen anti-government activists, charging them with undermining the constitution and terrorism. All denied the charges. The Belgrade rally coincides with St Vitus Day, venerated by most Serbs, which marks the 1389 Battle of Kosovo with Ottoman Turks. Serbian police have clashed with anti-government protesters demanding snap elections and an end to the 12-year rule of President Aleksandar Vucic. Police deployed scores of officers in riot gear around government buildings, parliament and nearby Pionirski Park, where throngs of Vucic's backers from across the nation gathered in a counter-protest. After the protest ended, some who wanted to confront Vucic's supporters threw bottles, rocks and flares at the police, who used force to disperse them in several locations across Belgrade's city centre. The protesters shouted: "Keep the shields down," calling on the police to stop intervening. Police detained several dozen demonstrators, while six officers were reported injured in clashes, Dragan Vasiljevic, the director of police, told a press conference late on Saturday local time. Vucic said protesters attempted to topple the state. "They wanted to topple Serbia, and they have failed," he wrote on his Instagram page. In a statement, students accused the government of escalating tensions. "They (authorities) ... opted for violence and repression against the people. Every radicalisation of the situation is their responsibility," students wrote on the X social media platform. In a statement, Ivica Dacic, the interior minister, said police will act to maintain public order. "The police will take all measures to establish public order and peace ... and apply all its powers to repel attacks, and arrest all those who attacked the police," Dacic said. Months of protests across the nation, including university shutdowns, have rattled Vucic, a populist, whose second term ends in 2027, when there are also parliamentary elections scheduled. Vucic's opponents accuse him and his allies of ties to organised crime, violence against rivals and curbing media freedoms, something they deny. Earlier on Saturday, Vucic said unspecified "foreign powers" were behind the protest. He said police should be restrained, but warned that violence will not be tolerated. "The country will be defended, and thugs will face justice," he told reporters in Belgrade. Sladjana Lojanovic, 37, a farmer from the town of Sid in the north, said she came to support students. "The institutions have been usurped and ... there is a lot of corruption. Elections are the solution, but I don't think he (Vucic) will want to go peacefully," she told Reuters. In the days ahead of the protest, police arrested about a dozen anti-government activists, charging them with undermining the constitution and terrorism. All denied the charges. The Belgrade rally coincides with St Vitus Day, venerated by most Serbs, which marks the 1389 Battle of Kosovo with Ottoman Turks.
