Suicide attack on South Waziristan check post foiled, one civilian killed and 15 injured

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: An attempted suicide bombing targeting a security forces check post near Azam Warsak Bazaar in South Waziristan was thwarted on Monday evening, according to officials.

Security sources said the attacker tried to strike the army post with a coach packed with explosives. They said Pakistan Army personnel acted in time and destroyed the vehicle before it could reach the check post.

Police officials said the blast caused damage to a nearby religious seminary, a petrol pump, several shops and the roofs of multiple houses, some of which partially caved in.

One civilian was martyred in the incident, while 15 others were injured, officials said. All of the wounded were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Wana.

Medical Superintendent Dr Jan Mohammad said an emergency had been declared at the hospital and treatment was being provided to the injured.

Residents of the area told Dawn that the explosion was extremely powerful, prompting people to run out of their rooms in fear as panic spread across the locality. They said the sound of the blast was heard over a wide area.

In a statement, security forces said that engaging the attacker and the explosives-laden vehicle at a distance from the post helped avert a much larger loss of life.

Following the attack, security personnel sealed off the area and began a search operation.

Rising violence in South Waziristan

The incident comes amid a marked rise in terrorism-related incidents across different parts of South Waziristan over the past year. Cases of target killing, kidnapping for ransom, bomb attacks and assaults on police and security check posts have increased, causing concern among local residents.

According to a report issued by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies, Pakistan recorded a sharp rise in militant violence in 2025 despite record militant deaths. Terrorist attacks increased by 34 per cent, while terrorism-related fatalities went up by 21 per cent compared to the previous year.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has seen a particularly notable increase in attacks over the last year. The Annual Security Report 2025 by the Centre for Research and Security Studies stated that the province witnessed a major rise in violence as

fatalities rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025

Amid a renewed wave of militancy, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan where security personnel and law enforcement agencies are often targeted, the state has stepped up counter-terrorism operations.

Last week, officials said, six terrorists were killed when Bannu police repelled a major attack on the Mazanga police post.