At least 12 people were killed and 30 others wounded when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a roadside police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, police said.

The attack took place near Aman Mela in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Most of those killed and injured were security personnel and passersby, while police, customs officials and forest department personnel were among the casualties.

Rescue teams rushed to the scene and took the wounded to nearby hospitals. Witnesses also reported hearing gunfire after the explosion.

According to Al Jazeera, suspicion has fallen on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The checkpoint was considered a significant security target because police and customs officials are regularly stationed there to monitor the movement of goods and prevent smuggling.

The attack comes amid rising tensions between Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing TTP fighters to operate from Afghan territory, a claim Kabul has denied.

The latest violence follows renewed fighting along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and Pakistani air strikes on alleged armed-group targets inside Afghanistan, further straining efforts by China, Turkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to mediate between the two countries.

BOB Post