PESHAWAR: A suspected suicide bomber killed at least 14 people, including police officers and civilians, in Pakistan’s northwestern Swat district on Sunday after a rally calling for lasting peace in the valley concluded, officials said.
The blast occurred outside Kabal police station as participants dispersed after the Swat People’s Peace Uprising, a rally organized by local residents and civil society groups to protest renewed militant violence in the region.
Swat, once the epicenter of the Pakistani Taliban insurgency, has witnessed growing public concern in recent years over a resurgence of militant attacks in parts of the district.
“Fourteen people, including police personnel and civilians, have been confirmed dead, while 15 injured are under treatment,” Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for KP Rescue 1122, told Arab News over the phone.
Ayesha Nasir, assistant commissioner of Kabal, confirmed that the explosion occurred outside the police station as people were leaving the gathering.
