Three people, including a tribal chief, were killed and four others injured in an improvised explosive device blast at a marketplace in northwest Pakistan on Monday (May 18, 2026), police said.
The blast occurred in a busy plaza in Wana town of South Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Rescue teams and residents rushed to the scene after the explosion and shifted the injured to Wana Headquarters Hospital for medical treatment, along with the dead bodies, police said.
According to District Police Officer Mohammad Tahir Shah Wazir, the explosion occurred near Gulshan Plaza when the vehicle of Malik Tariq, chief of the Ahmadzai tribe, was passing through the market area.
The powerful blast resulted in the deaths of three individuals on the spot, including Tariq, while four others were wounded, he said.
The blast caused widespread panic in the market area, eventually leading shops and businesses to shut down.
Locals and community leaders condemned the attack and urged the state to review its security policies.
Authorities have cordoned off the area and launched an investigation into the matter.
In a separate incident, six members of a family were injured in a suspected drone strike on a house in the Bajaur district of the province.
Those injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Khar, where they were being provided medical treatment, according to the police.
An investigation has been launched into the incident.
No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Pakistan government accuses the banned terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan of carrying out attacks on civilians as well as government infrastructure, especially in provinces bordering Afghanistan, after its ceasefire deal ended in November 2022.
Published – May 18, 2026 05:09 pm IST
