(Reuters) – A six-man suicide squad drove an explosive-laden truck into a military camp in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 23 soldiers, in the latest attack on security forces in the South Asian nation.
Here are some other incidents of violence over recent years that have targeted security forces in the country.
AUGUST, 2023
Militants attacked a Pakistani military convoy near the strategic southwestern port of Gwadar in the country’s mineral-rich province of Balochistan while it was escorting a delegation of Chinese nationals to a construction project.
A separatist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), claimed the attack and said it had inflicted multiple casualties, but Pakistani officials said no harm had been caused to any military personnel or civilians.
JULY 2023
Suspected Islamist militants stormed into an army base in Balochistan’s Zhob district, armed with guns, hand grenades, and rockets, in an attack that caused the deaths of nine soldiers.
Newly founded jihadist group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) claimed responsibility for the assault.
APRIL, 2023
A suicide bomber on a motorcycle blew himself up, killing three soldiers, as militants attacked a temporary military camp in northwest Pakistan.
The attack, for which no group claimed responsibility, occurred in the district of Lakki Marwat, near a rugged tribal area bordering Afghanistan which has long been home to Islamist militants.
MARCH, 2023
A suicide bomber rammed a motorcycle into a police truck in Sibbi, a city some 160 km (100 miles) east of Quetta, provincial capital of Balochistan, killing nine policemen and injuring 15 more.
The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack.
FEBRUARY, 2022
Insurgents armed with bombs and guns attacked two Pakistani military bases in Balochistan, killing seven soldiers in an attack for which the BLA group claimed responsibility.
China has been investing in the region and the attack came hours before Pakistan’s then-Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Beijing for the opening of the Winter Olympics, where he was due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders.
JANUARY, 2022
An insurgency attack on a Pakistani army post near Gwadar port killed 10 soldiers. The BLF claimed responsibility for the attack.
(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh; Editing by Gareth Jones)
