BANNU: Two explosions killed at least seven people and wounded three others in Pakistan’s northwestern Bannu district on Saturday, police said.
District Police Officer Yasir Afridi said the blasts occurred in the Merka Bera area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The first explosion struck a passenger van travelling from Hathi Khel village to Bannu city. A roadside bomb detonated as the vehicle passed through the area, killing five passengers, Afridi said.
A second explosion occurred shortly afterward at the same location. The blast killed two people who had joined rescue efforts and damaged a vehicle nearby. Three others suffered injuries.
Authorities moved the bodies and wounded victims to Khalifa Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital.
Police launched an investigation. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The incident comes amid persistent militant violence in northwestern Pakistan. In April, a suicide bombing in Bannu killed five people, including three women and a child, and wounded four others.
Pakistan has stepped up counterterrorism operations in recent months, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.
The military says security forces killed dozens of militants in operations across the country in June, including 48 militants in North Waziristan.
Pakistan has experienced a sharp rise in militant attacks since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly accused militant groups of using Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan, a claim Kabul denies.
Tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban administration have also fueled periodic border clashes despite ongoing diplomatic engagement between the two sides.
