A suicide bombing at a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday killed at least 11 people and injured around 30, officials said. The attack took place in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the border with Afghanistan.

Bilal Faizi, a spokesperson for the provincial emergency service, confirmed the incident, while local police chief Safdar Baloch stated that most of the casualties were security personnel and civilians passing by. The blast was carried out using a vehicle loaded with explosives.

The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the bombing in a statement. The group has been linked to a recent rise in militant attacks within Pakistan. Other armed groups, including the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which mainly operates in the neighboring Balochistan province, have also been active in recent years.

The TTP, while distinct from the Afghan Taliban, maintains close ties with the latter, which regained control of Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistani officials have frequently accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing TTP militants to use Afghan territory as a base for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul, however, denies these claims and rejects assertions that it permits cross-border militant activities.

The bombing follows increased tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, marked by clashes along their shared southwestern border. Two days prior to the attack, Pakistani authorities reported the deaths of at least 13 Afghan Taliban fighters in these confrontations. The latest hostilities come after a series of Pakistani strikes targeting alleged militant hideouts across the border.

This escalation has complicated ongoing mediation efforts led by China, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, which aim to foster peaceful relations between the two neighboring countries.

Dera Ismail Khan is situated close to South Waziristan, an area previously known as a militant stronghold. The Pakistani military has conducted multiple operations there over recent years to counter armed groups operating in the region.