Pakistan Blasts Kill Seven, Including Passengers in Pickup Truck

Two roadside blasts in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province killed at least seven people, authorities said on Saturday.

"A private pickup truck carrying passengers was targeted with a remote-controlled IED (improvised explosive device)," said Yasir Afridi, a police officer in Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.

"... the injured were being transported to hospital in a car for emergency treatment when a second IED exploded," he added.

Five people were killed in the first blast and two in the second, according to Afridi. Three people were also wounded, he said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts, though suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which has been linked to similar attacks in the past.

Pakistani PM Sharif says government 'committed to eliminating terrorism'

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombings and expressed his sorrow over the casualties.

He said the government "remained committed to eliminating terrorism" and "bringing those responsible to justice."

In a post on X, President Asif Ali Zardari "expressed deep sorrow over the loss of innocent civilian lives," according to his office.

Without naming any group, he also "issued a clear warning to internal and external handlers of terrorism who are providing safe havens, logistical support and financial assistance to terrorist networks," according to the statement.

Cross-border hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan

In recent years, Pakistan has seen a rise in militant violence, much of it claimed by the TTP.

The group is separate from, but allied with, Afghanistan's Taliban, who took back control in Kabul in 2021.

Pakistani officials say Afghan territory was being used as a haven for TTP militants, an accusation the Taliban government has repeatedly denied.

The dispute has fueled growing tensions between the neighbors, which have escalated into armed clashes in recent months.