A terrorist attack in the North Waziristan tribal district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has left at least 11 labourers dead and two others injured, news agency PTI reported citing local police sources on Sunday (August 20). The incident occurred late on Saturday night near Gul Mir Kot in Shawal tehsil, an area that shares a border with Afghanistan, it said.
According to the report, the attackers used explosives to devastating effect, targeting a vehicle carrying 16 labourers. Rehan Gul Khattak, Deputy Commissioner of North Waziristan, revealed that the assailants detonated their devices with deadly precision, destroying the vehicle and killing 11 people. The construction workers, who were working on a government building, were killed. In addition, two workers were injured, and three others are still missing, the report added.
The labourers were from the adjacent South Waziristan tribal district's tehsils of Makin and Wana, according to the report. Both the injured and the deceased were transported to a nearby medical facility for further evaluation and procedures.
Khattak emphasised that ongoing efforts are being made to locate and identify the missing workers, it added further.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar condemned the attack that had so taken the lives of innocent labourers. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he expressed his sorrow and anger at the incident. He stated, "Heartbreaking to know about the terrorist attack in North Waziristan which claimed the lives of 11 innocent labourers. Strongly condemn this senseless act of violence and stand in solidarity with the families affected."
In a separate incident earlier on the same day, four personnel from the Bomb Disposal Squad sustained serious injuries in Upper South Waziristan's Makin tehsil. Miscreants targeted their vehicles with a rocket, causing significant harm to the squad members.