PESHAWAR, (Pakistan): Six people, including two children, were killed when mortar shells hit a market in a turbulent area of northwestern Pakistan, a police official said on Thursday (May 7).
The attack took place in the Thall area of Hangu district in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan and also lies adjacent to Pakistan's formerly self-governed tribal areas.
The blast also wounded 13 people, three of whom were in critical condition, and there were fears the death toll could rise, local police officer Tariq Habib said.
"As efforts were underway to evacuate the wounded, the attackers targeted the same location again," Habib said.
Security forces cordoned off the area while rescue teams transported the wounded to nearby hospitals.
Officials said security had been tightened as authorities worked to prevent further attacks.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hangu has long experienced sporadic violence by militant groups such as Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is active in the region.
There has been an increase in militant attacks in Pakistan by such groups since the Afghan Taliban took over in Kabul in 2021, according to analysts and Pakistan government officials.
Islamabad has accused neighbouring Afghanistan of failing to root out militants sheltering on Afghan soil as they prepare to stage assaults on Pakistan, a charge the Taliban government in Kabul denies. - AFP
