ISLAMABAD: A suicide bomber killed 16 soldiers in a military convoy in Pakistan. More than 30 people, including locals, were injured. Four of the injured soldiers are in critical condition. The incident took place in the North Waziristan district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan. An explosive-laden vehicle was rammed into the military convoy. Six of the injured were children.

The Hafiz Gul Bahadur militant group, a faction of the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been carrying out attacks in the region. The blast destroyed the roofs of two houses. The attack comes amid a rise in militant attacks in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan regions. Nearly 290 people have been killed in attacks by armed groups fighting the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since the beginning of this year. Most of them are security personnel.