File photo 

By The South Asia Times 

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - At least seven people were killed and three others wounded in twin roadside bomb explosions in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, the latest in a series of attacks that have intensified across the country's volatile border regions.

The incident occurred in the Barghanto area of Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which shares a porous border with Afghanistan.

According to District Police Officer Yasir Afridi, the first bomb targeted a passenger van carrying members of a local peace committee.

The remotely controlled improvised explosive device (IED) completely destroyed the vehicle, killing five people on the spot.

As rescue teams and local residents rushed to transport the victims to nearby hospitals, a second roadside bomb detonated near the vehicle carrying the injured and the bodies of the deceased, killing two more people and wounding three others.

The deceased were identified as Haji Ghaffar Din, Saqib Iqbal, Chhota Aziz, Rahmatullah, and Allah Noor.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The group is separate from but allied with Afghanistan's Taliban and has been blamed for similar attacks in the past.

Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant violence in recent years, much of it claimed by the TTP. Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused Kabul of harboring TTP leaders and fighters across the border in Afghanistan—an allegation Afghanistan's Taliban government has consistently denied.

The latest attacks come amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. A recent UN Security Council report rejected Afghanistan's claim that its soil is not being used for terrorism, identifying TTP as the most serious and immediate threat to Pakistan, with over 600 TTP attacks recorded in 2025—many launched from Afghan territory.

The dispute has escalated into armed clashes in recent months. In February, Pakistan launched air strikes inside Afghanistan under "Operation Ghazab Lil Haq" and destroyed several Afghan Taliban military installations. The Taliban administration, which operates without a conventional air force, responded with claims of cross-border strikes, which Pakistan dismissed as propaganda.

Pakistani President Asif Zardari, condemning Saturday's bombings, issued a "clear warning to internal and external handlers of terrorism who are providing safe havens, logistical support and financial assistance to terrorist networks". Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif affirmed the government's commitment to eliminating terrorism and bringing those responsible to justice.

Security forces have launched an investigation and search operation in the area to identify the perpetrators.