News Desk: A deadly suicide bombing targeting a joint police and Customs checkpost in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has killed at least 12 people and injured 35 others, according to updated reports from Pakistani authorities.
The attack took place on Saturday at the Aman Mela checkpost in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan, along the Dera Ismail Khan-Quetta Road, close to the border between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Explosives-laden vehicle rammed into checkpost
According to police and rescue officials, an attacker drove an explosives-laden vehicle, reported to be a tractor-trolley, into the checkpost, triggering a powerful explosion.
Dera Ismail Khan District Police Officer Ziauddin Ahmed described the incident as a suicide blast. The explosion badly damaged the checkpost and destroyed a nearby house. The blast was reportedly followed by heavy gunfire in the area.
The latest figures released by the authorities put the death toll at 12, while 35 people were injured. The deceased included nine men, two women and a child, according to the Regional Police Officer. A Customs official was also among those killed.
Earlier reports had put the death toll at 11 and the number of injured at around 20 to 30, but the figures were subsequently revised as rescue teams recovered victims from the site.
SUICIDE BOMBING hits police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan
At least 11 reportedly KILLED in attack in Darazinda pic.twitter.com/r1RRnrxwzP
— RT Intl (@RT_on_X) September 26, 2026
Rescue operation launched
Rescue 1122 teams rushed to the scene following the explosion. More than 25 rescuers, six ambulances and a fire vehicle were involved in the initial relief operation, while additional ambulances were dispatched from Dera Ismail Khan to evacuate the injured.
Twenty-five of the injured were referred to the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital in Dera Ismail Khan for further treatment. Some victims were reported to be in critical condition.
Ambulance carrying victims also attacked
The violence did not end with the explosion.
A Rescue 1122 ambulance transporting victims and bodies from the blast site came under gunfire near Aman Mela. Two rescue workers were killed and another was injured in the follow-up attack, according to Rescue 1122 and Dawn.
The incident prompted security forces to launch further operations in the area.
TTP claims responsibility
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the checkpoint bombing, according to reports from the Associated Press and other news organisations. The TTP is a separate organisation from Afghanistan’s Taliban government, although the two have longstanding ties.
The attack comes amid continuing militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where security installations and law-enforcement personnel have frequently been targeted.
Rising violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Dera Ismail Khan has experienced repeated militant attacks in recent years. The latest bombing comes against the backdrop of heightened security tensions in the region bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistan has blamed militant groups operating from or linked to areas across the Afghan border for a number of attacks, while Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have rejected accusations that Afghan territory is being used to conduct attacks against Pakistan.
The latest incident has once again highlighted the security challenges confronting Pakistan’s northwestern region, where attacks on police posts, security installations and other government targets have remained a persistent concern.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the bombing and called for effective action against those responsible. Authorities have also ordered continued security and counterterrorism operations in the area.
