By The South Asia Times

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A suicide bombing targeted a security checkpoint in Pakistan’s northwestern district of North Waziristan on Friday, leaving at least one person dead and 17 others injured, according to local police.

 

The attacker rammed an explosives-laden motorcycle into a checkpoint in the Miranshah area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Police said the blast also caused casualties among civilians in a nearby market.

 

Eyewitnesses said the bombing occurred near the Chashmai checkpoint around sunset during the holy month of Ramadan. Residents said the checkpoint is usually less crowded at that time as soldiers often move to a nearby center to break their fast.

 

A local resident told The South Asia Times that the attacker appeared to be targeting the security post but failed to reach it, with the explosion instead hitting civilians in the area. Images and videos circulating locally showed several wounded people, including children.

 

Hospital officials reported that multiple children between the ages of three and 10 were among the injured.

 

The attack comes amid heightened tensions following threats from the terrorist group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which recently vowed to intensify attacks against Pakistani security forces in support of the Afghan Taliban. Pakistani authorities have also reported ongoing military operations targeting militant positions across several border regions in Afghanistan.