Suicide bombing during peace rally in Pakistan kills 14, injures 22

PESHAWAR: At least 14 people, including police officers, were killed and 22 others injured in a suicide bombing during a peace rally against terrorism in northwestern Pakistan. The blast occurred outside the Kabal police station in Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Security forces cordoned off the area as investigators began examining the scene.

Hundreds of people had gathered near the police station in Kabal town in the Swat Valley on Sunday to protest the recent surge in militant violence when the attacker struck. The demonstrators were calling for peace to be restored in the valley and raising slogans against terrorism, District Police Chief Omar Khan said.

Among those killed were about five police officers, Khan said, adding that initial reports suggested the bomber had targeted police personnel.
The injured were taken to Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital for treatment.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though suspicion has fallen on the Pakistani Taliban. Videos said to show the aftermath of the explosion have been circulating on social media, but their authenticity has not been independently verified.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack in a statement, offering condolences to the families of those killed and wishing those injured a speedy recovery.