Suicide car bombing in Pakistan kills 14 soldiers, wounds 25 people

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PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide car bombing in northwest Pakistan on Saturday killed at least 14 soldiers and wounded 25 people, including civilians, officials said.

The attack targeted a military vehicle in North Waziristan around lunchtime despite a curfew across the tribal district to facilitate the movement of security forces, the intelligence officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue with the media.

An initial investigation said 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds) of explosives were used in the assault, causing severe damage to houses in the area.

The wounded were 15 soldiers and 10 civilians, including children, the officials said. Pakistan’s military gave lower casualty figures, saying the attack killed 13 soldiers and wounded three civilians. It blamed the incident on rival India, without providing evidence.

Footage of the blast in Khadi village showed bandaged children lying on the floor near shattered glass and debris.

A Pakistani Taliban faction, the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is home to several outlawed militant groups that frequently attack security personnel. Pakistan blames Afghanistan for giving them haven, a charge denied by Kabul.

In March, Pakistani analyst Abdullah Khan told The Associated Press that the Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction was “more lethal” than the Pakistani Taliban and was competing with them.

Khan, the managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, also said there was a revival of banned organizations like Lashkar-e-Islam, which operates from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, contributing to an overall escalation of militant activity in Pakistan.