Terrorist attack kills five in northwest Pakistan

A blast in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, July 2, killed at least five local government officials and police officers. The attack occurred at a market in the town of Bajaur. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.
The attack came days after 16 soldiers were killed in an attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. About 300 people, mostly security officials, have been killed in attacks by armed groups fighting the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces since the start of the year, according to a tally by the AFP news agency.
More than 1,600 people died in Pakistan last year, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies. Pakistan has seen a sharp increase in violence in regions bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.