IRIA News

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At least 13 Pakistani soldiers were killed and dozens injured in a deadly suicide bombing that targeted a military convoy in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali town on June 28, 2025. The explosion has sparked a new diplomatic flare-up between nuclear-armed neighbors Pakistan and India.

According to security officials and local media reports, the attack occurred in Khadi Market in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, a tribal district in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a convoy of the Pakistan Army near a bomb disposal unit vehicle.

The powerful blast instantly killed 13 soldiers and injured at least 24 individuals, including 14 civilians. The explosion was so intense that it caused the roofs of two nearby houses to collapse, injuring six children.

“A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy,” a local government official reported. Police sources said that “The explosion also caused the roofs of two houses to collapse, injuring six children.”

While there was no immediate comment from the Pakistan Army following the attack, the responsibility was claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a known faction of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organization of various armed groups waging an insurgency against the Pakistani state.

Strategic location of attack

The location of the attack, North Waziristan, is a long-time epicenter of militancy in Pakistan, situated close to the Afghan border. Since the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in August 2021, Pakistan has faced an uptick in cross-border militancy and suicide bombings in the region.

According to some independent sources, nearly 290 people, mostly security forces, have died in militant attacks in Pakistan since the beginning of 2025, concentrated largely in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The most recent operation in South Waziristan earlier this month saw Pakistani forces kill 11 militants but also lost two soldiers, showing the continuing volatility in the area.

Blame game escalates

Tensions quickly escalated in the wake of the bombing when Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, hinted at Indian involvement in the attack. The ISPR’s statement did not present evidence but accused “external forces” of fueling terrorism in Pakistan.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded swiftly and sharply on Sunday, firmly rejecting the Pakistani Army’s statement. “We have seen an official statement by the Pakistan Army seeking to blame India for the attack on Waziristan on 28 June. We reject this statement with the contempt it deserves,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a strongly worded statement on X.

India’s denial adds to the already tense relationship between the two neighbors, who have fought three wars since their independence. Any suggestion of involvement in internal Pakistani attacks is seen in New Delhi as an unacceptable provocation.

Security analysts believe Pakistan’s accusations against India may be intended more for domestic audiences, aiming to divert attention from its internal security failures. However, such statements carry serious implications for regional stability.

Who is Hafiz Gul Bahadur?

The Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction, which claimed responsibility for the bombing, has a long and complex history. Once seen as a “good Taliban” group that refrained from attacking Pakistani forces in exchange for freedom to operate in Afghanistan, the group has now turned against the state, particularly after Pakistani military operations disrupted its safe havens.

Despite being overshadowed in recent years by larger groups like the TTP and Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), Bahadur’s group has reemerged amid the security vacuum created by the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and the subsequent shift in regional dynamics.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, Pakistan has experienced a notable increase in cross-border terrorism. The Taliban have denied providing haven to anti-Pakistan elements, but Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies argue otherwise.

The porous border and the ideological affinity between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan-based jihadist groups have further complicated Islamabad’s ability to secure its western frontiers.

Adding to the complexity is the lack of a functioning border security agreement between the two nations and the increasing use of asymmetric warfare tactics by militant groups, including vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) and suicide bombings.

Civilian toll and humanitarian concerns

Saturday’s attack has once again underscored the vulnerability of civilians caught in the crossfire. Of the 24 injured, 14 were civilians, including children who were injured when the roofs of their homes collapsed from the force of the blast.

Hospitals in the area were overwhelmed, and rescue operations continued late into the evening. Footage shared on social media by local news outlets showed charred vehicles, debris, and wounded people being carried from the scene.

Human rights groups have urged the Pakistani government to ensure the protection of civilians and provide psychological support to victims and families affected by the ongoing violence.

The North Waziristan attack is a grim reminder of Pakistan’s deteriorating internal security situation. While military operations have reduced the capability of some militant factions, others have adapted, regrouped, and exploited both regional instability and state weaknesses.

At the same time, the blame game between Pakistan and India over responsibility for such attacks continues to hinder any meaningful regional cooperation on counterterrorism. Unless both domestic and cross-border aspects of the militancy problem are addressed, such tragedies are likely to recur.