Twin roadside blasts on Saturday killed 7 people in Pakistan‘s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district. The first blast targeted a vehicle, while the second went off as rescuers responded to the blast in Bannu, near Afghanistan, as said by a senior police official Yasir Afridi said, who also revealed that both were controlled remotely.“A private pickup truck carrying passengers was targeted with a remote-controlled IED,” he said, adding “… the injured were being transported to hospital in a car for emergency treatment when a second IED exploded.”Afridi said five people were killed in the first blast and two in the second and added that three people were also wounded. A search operation to find those responsible is under way.Pakistan prime minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed sorrow over the casualties. He said the government “remained committed to eliminating terrorism” and “bringing those responsible to justice”.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts. However, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant outfits remain active in the region.Pakistan has repeatedly blamed neighbouring Afghanistan for a recent rise in militant attacks, an allegation the Taliban-led government in Kabul denies. Afghan authorities have consistently rejected claims that their territory is being used as a safe haven by militants targeting Pakistan.Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply in recent months, with tensions spilling over into armed clashes and cross-border military action. Earlier this month, Pakistani airstrikes near the shared border reportedly killed at least 12 people in Afghanistan.The border between the two neighbours has remained largely closed since violence escalated in October, disrupting bilateral trade and further straining ties.
