Conflict & Security
Pakistan suicide attack kills 13 in Swat, police say
A suicide bomber attacked a crowded intersection near a police station during a civil society protest in Pakistan's Swat district, killing 13 people and wounding 22, police said Sunday.
Swat Deputy Inspector General of Police Fida Hussain said the dead included eight police officers. He said another body, suspected to be that of the bomber, had been taken to a hospital.
Hussain said the attacker tried to enter the police station at the intersection but was stopped by police at the main gate. No group immediately claimed responsibility.
The attack took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where authorities are fighting a growing insurgency by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. A military spokesman said Friday that militant attacks and ensuing operations had killed 819 security personnel and civilians this year.
Pakistan has previously blamed violence in its border provinces on militant activity from Afghanistan. Afghanistan's Taliban government denies Afghan involvement. The dispute has contributed to armed conflict between the neighbours, and Pakistan says its air strikes in Afghanistan target militants. Afghanistan's Taliban government and the United Nations said dozens of civilians were killed in the latest Pakistani strikes in eastern Afghanistan in June.
Update
Police said the death toll rose to 13 from nine.
Police said 22 people were wounded, up from 20 previously reported.
Swat Deputy Inspector General of Police Fida Hussain said the dead included eight police officers.
Police said another body, suspected to be that of the bomber, had been brought to hospital.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 August 2026 at 16:13:46 UTC.
Update
Police said the death toll rose to nine.
Police said 20 people were wounded.
Swat's Deputy Inspector General of Police Fida Hussain said seven of the wounded were in critical condition.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 August 2026 at 15:46:25 UTC.
Update
The blast was at a busy intersection near a police station in Swat district.
Police said the attacker tried to enter the police station but was stopped at the main gate.
Several of the wounded were in critical condition, according to police.
No group immediately claimed responsibility.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 August 2026 at 15:18:14 UTC.
Update
The attack took place in Swat district in northern Pakistan, police said.
More than 20 people were wounded, police said.
Four of the seven people killed were police officers, Swat's deputy inspector general of police said.
Police said the attacker detonated an explosive vest.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 August 2026 at 15:01:13 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Responsibility for the Swat attack had not been claimed immediately.
Police said one body was suspected to be that of the bomber, but the identity was not confirmed in the supplied information.
Source
AFP news report published on .