Pakistan: At least 16 soldiers killed in a suicide attack

At least 16 Pakistani soldiers were killed in a suicide attack that was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, local government officials and police officers told AFP on Saturday.

The attack in north-western Pakistan also left 29 people injured, including 10 army personnel and 19 civilians.

"A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy," said a local government official in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

A police officer informed AFP that the explosion had also caused the roofs of two houses to collapse, injuring six children.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that a suicide bombing had killed at least eight soldiers. According to AP sources, the attack targeted a military vehicle in North Waziristan at around lunchtime.

The attack was claimed by the suicide bomber wing of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur armed group, which is affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban.

Since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, violence has increased significantly in the Pakistani regions bordering Afghanistan.