Islamabad:
A suicide blast struck a busy area near a police station during a protest in Pakistan’s Swat district, killing at least 14 people and wounding around two dozen others. A video of the attack has emerged on social media showing the moment a suicide bomber struck a rally in Kabal, a town in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where demonstrators were chanting anti-militant slogans and demanding peace.
Chaos erupted in the area as soon as the bomb went off, with people running in all directions to seek safety.
Eyewitnesses told the Associated Press that shortly before the attack, speakers at the rally said that ensuring security and eliminating militancy were the state’s responsibility. They also accused authorities of failing to act decisively against militants, saying residents wanted to live without fear after years of violence that devastated the region.
BREAKING: A suicide blast struck Kabal Police Station in Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, during a nearby peace rally. Reports indicate at least 16 people, including 10 police officers, were killed, with many others injured.#BreakingNews #Pakistan #Swat…
— WorldNewsRank (@WNewsRankX) August 3, 2026
Attack at Anti-Militancy Rally
Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial emergency service, told AP the attacker struck dozens of people who were chanting antimilitant slogans and demanding peace.
The blast took place at a crowded intersection near a police station in Swat during a civil society protest.
“Thirteen people, including eight police officers, were killed in the suicide bombing,” Swat Deputy Inspector General of Police Fida Hussain told news agency AFP.
He added that 22 people had been wounded and another body, suspected to be that of the bomber, had been brought to hospital.
“A suicide bomber attempted to enter the police station located at the Chowk (intersection) but was stopped by police at the main gate,” he said.
Insurgency Problem in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The attack took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where authorities are fighting a growing insurgency by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). No group immediately claimed responsibility.
In yet another attack, a homemade bomb blast in the provincial capital, Peshawar, wounded four police officers. The attack was later claimed by the TTP, according to police.
Militant attacks and ensuing operations in the country had killed 819 security personnel and civilians this year, according to Pakistan’s military’s data.
Pakistan has previously blamed the violence in border provinces on militant activity emanating from Afghanistan. The Taliban government in Kabul denies Afghan involvement.
