Suicide Attack Kills 16 Soldiers, Injures Dozens in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A suicide bombing in North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, killed 16 soldiers and injured more than two dozen people, including civilians and children. The attack involved an explosives-laden vehicle targeting a military convoy and caused structural damage to nearby homes. The militant group responsible is the suicide bomber wing of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur armed faction of the Pakistani Taliban, with some reports attributing the claim to its sub-faction Usud al-Harb. This incident is among the deadliest in the region in recent months, reflecting a surge in violence since the Taliban's return to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistani authorities accuse the Afghan Taliban of allowing militant groups to operate across the border, a claim denied by Kabul. The ongoing conflict has resulted in nearly 290 deaths this year among security personnel and civilians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.