Suicide blast targeting DI Khan police checkpost kills 13, injures 33

At least 13 people, including police and excise personnel, were killed and 33 others injured in a suspected suicide attack on a security checkpoint in Pakistan’s northwestern Dera Ismail Khan district, officials said on Saturday.

Bilal Ahmed Faizi, a spokesperson for Rescue 1122, told Nukta that the blast occurred at the Aman Mela police checkpoint in the Darazinda area. Rescue teams recovered 13 bodies and provided medical assistance to 33 injured people before taking them to hospitals, he said.

Spokesperson D I Khan Police Zulqarnain Yaqoob said 10 of those killed were police and excise personnel who were on duty at the checkpoint.

According to the spokesperson, the attackers rammed an explosives-laden loader into the checkpoint at about 2:40 p.m., triggering a powerful explosion that destroyed the building. Heavy gunfire followed the blast, police said.

Rescue teams from Darazinda reached the site and began relief operations, while four additional ambulances and personnel were dispatched from Dera Ismail Khan. Faizi said six ambulances, a fire vehicle and more than 25 rescue personnel were involved in the response.

The death toll of 13 includes two rescuers who were killed when militants opened fire on an ambulance transporting injured people to hospital after the initial blast.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) also claimed responsibility for the attack on the rescue team. The claim could not be independently verified.

Police and a bomb disposal squad reached the site as security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. Security measures were also tightened in and around the area.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi sought a report from senior officials and directed authorities to ensure that the injured receive medical treatment. He condemned the attack and described it as a militant plot.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying security personnel at the checkpoint were killed or injured and that its fighters engaged a security convoy approaching the area. The claims could not be independently verified.

Dera Ismail Khan, in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been a major focus of militant activity amid a broader resurgence of violence in the province.

The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) said six southern districts, including Dera Ismail Khan, accounted for more than 60% of militant attacks recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2025. The TTP and allied factions were identified as the main perpetrators, with security forces and other state-linked targets frequently attacked.