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A bomb rigged to a rickshaw exploded at a bazaar in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least nine people and wounding more than two dozen others, police said, in the latest sign of escalating violence in the region bordering Afghanistan.
The attack took place in Lakki Marwat, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police chief Azmat Ullah said.
He said that two traffic police officers and a woman were among those killed.
Ullah provided no further details but said traffic police officers were apparently the target of the attack.
Most of the dead and wounded were passersby, he said and the bombing also damaged nearby shops.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Suspicion in such attacks often falls on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has intensified its campaign against Pakistani security forces in recent years.
The group is separate from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban government.
However, the Pakistani Taliban denied involvement in the attack, saying in a statement that it had learned about the bombing but was not behind it.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Tuesday’s attack and conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims.
In a statement, he said the government and all relevant institutions were committed to eliminating terrorism and would not allow militants to obstruct peace and development in the country.
He directed authorities to swiftly complete the investigation, identify those responsible and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.
Pakistani authorities have long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of sheltering militants. Kabul has denied the allegation, saying it does not allow militants to use Afghan soil to launch attacks against other countries.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence in recent years, straining relations with Afghanistan.
The Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups have grown more emboldened since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have persisted, including fighting that has killed hundreds of people since late February.
In early April, the two sides held peace talks mediated by China. However, sporadic cross-border clashes have continued, though at a lower intensity than before.
Additional sources • AP