At least six Pakistani soldiers, including a Captain, lost their lives on Wednesday in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast that targeted a security convoy in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed. The deadly explosion occurred in the Sultani area of Kurram district, located along the Afghanistan border. The convoy came under heavy fire from terrorists while passing through the volatile region, leading to an intense gunfight during which seven militants were neutralized by security forces, according to the ISPR statement.
The attack turned deadlier when an IED detonated near Dogar, inflicting severe casualties on the convoy. The blast killed one officer and five soldiers, marking one of the deadliest assaults on Pakistani forces in recent months. Following the incident, the area was immediately cordoned off, and a large-scale search operation was launched to track down the perpetrators. Security forces continue to comb the region amid heightened alerts, as the incident underscores the persistent militant threat along Pakistan’s western frontier.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in terrorist attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, where militants frequently target police, law enforcement agencies, and military personnel. The surge in violence follows the breakdown of the ceasefire between the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the government in 2022. Just days earlier, Pakistani forces thwarted two major infiltration attempts from Afghanistan, killing 25 militants, including four suicide bombers, and seizing a huge cache of weapons and explosives in North Waziristan and Kurram, the ISPR said.