KP, 7 killed in South Waziristan Peace Committee office blast

A detonation has been reported at the office of the Peace Committee in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) South Waziristan tribal district. Initial reports suggest that the incident has resulted in the deaths of at least seven individuals and injuries to at least 16 others, five of whom are reported to be in critical condition. These reports have been confirmed by local police. At the time of the explosion, a meeting was in progress at the committee premises. According to official sources, Saifur Rehman, a member of the peace committee, sustained injuries in the attack. However, these sources have stated that his condition is not critical. The presence of Peace Committees in the area dates back to 2007, with the explicit mandate of expelling foreign combatants. Although no group has yet claimed responsibility for the explosion, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) party, an opposition group, has vowed to intensify attacks on security forces following the breakdown of a ceasefire with the government in November 2022.