Pakistan: Section 144 imposed in North Waziristan after deadly suicide attack

Peshawar [Pakistan], June 30 (ANI): Authorities have imposed Section 144 in North Waziristan for one month amid heightened security concerns, ARY News reported.
A notification issued by the Deputy Commissioner confirmed restrictions banning pillion riding, gatherings of more than three, and entry of non-custom-paid vehicles into the district.
A day-long curfew was enforced Monday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., during which all entry and exit routes and main roads were closed to facilitate movement and logistics of security forces. Authorities have urged residents to cooperate to maintain peace, ARY News added.
Earlier, at least 13 Pakistan Army soldiers were killed and three civilians--including two children and a woman--were injured in a vehicle-borne suicide attack on a security forces convoy in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the lead vehicle after being intercepted, resulting in the fatalities, ARY News reported.
The ISPR later identified the group behind the attack as Fitna-al-Khawarij, with The Dawn confirming that 13 security personnel were killed in the suicide bombing in Mir Ali, North Waziristan.
According to the military's media wing, a vehicle-borne suicide attacker targeted a security convoy in the district's Mir Ali area before being intercepted by the convoy's lead vehicle. "In their desperation, an explosive-laden vehicle was rammed by the Kharijis into one of the vehicles of the leading group," the ISPR stated.
"Thirteen brave sons of [the] soil embraced shahadat (martyrdom). [In] this tragic and barbaric incident, two children and a woman were also severely injured," The Dawn further reported.
Earlier, a statement from the KP Chief Minister's Office confirmed that eight security personnel were killed in the blast. KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the attack and expressed his condolences and prayers for the personnel.
"Security forces have made unprecedented sacrifices to establish peace in the country and eliminate terrorism," he said. "Everyone in the nation stands with security forces in the war against terrorism," the statement added.
District Police Officer (DPO) Waqar Ahmed told The Dawn that four civilians were injured in the "suicide attack" carried out through a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.
The Dawn reported that the attack comes just days after two soldiers were killed and 11 terrorists were eliminated during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in South Waziristan.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest bombing.
Earlier this month, 14 terrorists were killed in North Waziristan's Datta Khel town during a security operation, while on June 15, a Frontier Corps soldier was killed in a targeted attack in Upper South Waziristan's Ladha tehsil.
These incidents reflect a broader trend, as Pakistan ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with a 45% rise in terrorism-related deaths over the past year, reaching 1,081 fatalities. The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies recorded 85 attacks in May, compared to 81 in April. (ANI)