Three security personnel killed in bomb blast in Pakistan's North Waziristan

At least three security personnel were killed in IED blast at a check post in Pakistan's restive northwest district of North Waziristan on Saturday late night.

According to a report published in Xinhua, the explosion hit a check-post located in Raghzai area of Tehsil Shewa in North Waziristan, a district of the country’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. Three security personnel came under the attack on Saturday when they reached the post to perform their duties. Another paramilitary soldier was wounded in an unfortunate incident.

Soon after the blast, security forces cordoned off the whole area and launched a massive search operation in the surrounding areas to arrest the perpetrators.

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Pakistan’s local media quoted officials saying that an improvised explosives device was planted near the check-post and it was detonated with a remote-control device. So far none of the terrorist group has claimed responsibility.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister K P K Mehmud Khan strongly condemned the blast. He said that the resolve of the government against terrorism cannot be suppressed through such acts of cowardice.

Notably, North Waziristan was a long-time stronghold for the Taliban, al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. Pakistan government claims to have driven out the terrorists in a series of military operations in recent years, however, the region still witness occasional attacks.

In the year 2017, the Pakistan government merged North Waziristan with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province with an aim to give equal rights to the 5 million residents of the rugged, tribal region.

It is worth mentioning here that on April 12, sixteen people were killed and dozens injured in a blast at Quetta's Hazarganji sabzi mandi. The blast, which ripped through the Hazarganji sabzi mandi, was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) that had been hidden in the market. Some of the buildings in the vicinity were also damaged in the blast. Quetta is the provincial capital of Balochistan.