IED blast injures nine in Pakistan market

An improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in Makeen Bazaar, located in the Upper South Waziristan district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, injuring nine people on Friday. Police reported that the device was attached to a motorcycle and exploded around 10:45 am in the crowded marketplace.

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The IED had been attached to a motorcycle by unidentified people.

Among the injured were three members of a local peace committee: Inayatullah, Sharat Khan, and Bangi Khan. They were transported to Razmak Hospital for further treatment, while the other injured individuals received medical attention at a local health facility. The blast also caused damage to several shops, destroying merchandise and other items within them.

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Three peace committee members, Inayatullah, Sharat Khan and Bangi Khan, were among those injured in the blast.

Following the explosion, law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area and initiated a search operation. Security measures were heightened throughout and around the market as personnel gathered evidence and looked for potential suspects. A preliminary report has been registered, and an investigation is underway to identify those responsible for planting the IED.

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Police also said that the IED blast damaged several shops in the market, destroying merchandise and other items inside.

The incident occurs against a backdrop of escalating security concerns in the South Waziristan region, with residents expressing alarm over the increasing frequency of bomb blasts, targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion targeting traders, and attacks on police and security forces. This follows a recent attack on Wednesday where armed men injured a peace committee volunteer and martyred a police official in the Sararogha tehsil of Upper South Waziristan.

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Police had registered a preliminary report and launched an investigation into the incident.