Bomb Rigged To Rickshaw Explodes In Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, Killing At Least Nine

A bomb rigged to a rickshaw exploded in a bazaar in Lakki Marwat, a district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on Tuesday, killing at least nine people and wounding more than two dozen others, police said.

“An explosion in a busy market in northwestern Pakistan has killed at least nine people and wounded 30, according to emergency workers and a medical official”

Al Jazeera

AP reported that local police chief Azmat Ullah said two traffic police officers and a woman were among the victims, and that traffic police officers were apparently the target of the attack.

Al Jazeera

Reuters was cited by Report.az as saying that "Seven people, including two police officers and five civilians, were killed in an explosion at a market in Lakki Marwat," while other outlets described higher casualty counts.

The blast was described as occurring in the Sarai Naurang area near the city of Bannu on the Afghan border, with Euronews saying the attack killed at least nine and injured more than 20 others.

Pakistan blamed militants based in Afghanistan for a prior attack on a police post in the nearby Bannu district on Saturday, and Islamabad lodged a formal complaint with Kabul.

AP quoted Afghan Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on X saying, "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan believes that problems can be resolved through understanding, mutual respect and genuine cooperation, rather than accusations, threats and emotional reactions," after rejecting Pakistan’s claim.

Devdiscourse

Devdiscourse said the market explosion in northwestern Pakistan came after that earlier attack, and that Pakistan accused Afghan-based militants which Afghanistan denies.

Gazeta Express reported that no group claimed responsibility for the Lakki Marwat blast, while suspicion often falls on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and it said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and ordered a swift investigation.

Rescue efforts were reported as ongoing, with severely injured people transported to hospitals in Bannu, including THQ Hospital, after the Lakki Marwat blast.

“The Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups have grown more emboldened since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021”

Euronews

Firstpost said Deputy Superintendent of Police Nawrang Saeed Khan reported people with severe injuries had been shifted to hospitals in Bannu, and medical superintendent Mohammad Ishaq said THQ Hospital had received 37 injured people so far and confirmed that several remained in critical condition.

TRT World, citing a local administration official, said "nine bodies have been brought here so far" and that "At least 22 injured people are also receiving treatment," while also noting authorities had not yet confirmed the nature of the explosion.

The attack was framed as part of escalating violence in a region bordering Afghanistan, with Devdiscourse saying the blast was caused by an IED and that it heightened concerns about potential renewed hostilities with neighboring Afghanistan.