Peshawar, August 31: A suicide bomber riding on a motorcycle targeted a security convoy in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least nine soldiers and wounding 20 others, three security officials said, a sign of increasing militant violence. The attack happened in Bannu, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media on the record.

There was no immediate claim from any group, but the suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks on security forces since 2022. Authorities say the insurgents have found sanctuaries and have even been living openly in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, which also emboldened them, There was no immediate comment from the army. Suicide Attack in Pakistan: Two Soldiers, Policeman Among Four Killed in Suicide Bomb Blast in North Waziristan.

Bannu is located near the former militant stronghold of North Waziristan, which served as a base for insurgents until the army years ago announced that it had cleared the region of local and foreign militants. Occasional attacks have continued, however, raising concerns that the local Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, are regrouping in the area. Suicide Attack in Pakistan Video: Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Siraj Ul Haq Narrowly Escape Suicide Bomb Blast in Zhob, Incident Caught on Camera.

The Pakistani Taliban are a separate group but allies of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 as the US and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout.

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