16 Pakistani soldiers killed as suicide bomber rams explosives-laden vehicle into military convoy

At least 16 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 24 others injured after an explosive-laden car rammed into a military convoy near the Afghanistan border in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

 

According to reports, the suicide bomber targeted the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle belonging to the Bomb Disposal Unit early this morning in Khaddi area of North Waziristan district.

 

Earlier reports claimed 13 troops lost their lives in the attack, but a local government official later confirmed 16 deaths.

 

"The explosion also caused the roofs of two houses to collapse, injuring six children," the officer told news agency AFP.

 

Among those injured are 14 civilians, including women and children, and many of them are said to be in critical condition.

 

The militant group Usud al-Harb, a sub-faction of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

 

Local media reports quoted residents in the area as saying that a large amount of smoke could be seen billowing from the scene from a great distance.

 

Some of the residents said the explosion rattled the windowpanes of the nearby houses, and caused some roofs to collapse.

 

North Waziristan has been witnessing a spike in terrorist activities, with Islamabad alleging that the militants run training camps in Afghanistan to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul, however, has dismissed the charge.

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