A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device outside a police station in the Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday evening, killing at least 14 people and wounding 22 others. The attack occurred in the town of Kabal, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border, as hundreds of residents had gathered at a nearby intersection to protest the escalating violence in the region.
According to Swat District Police Chief Umar Khan, the attacker set off the bomb as security forces attempted to stop and search him at the police station's entrance. The explosion happened precisely as the last speaker was addressing the crowd, causing panic and a stampede as people fled the scene.
Swat Deputy Inspector General of Police Fida Hussain confirmed that at least 22 people were injured, many in critical condition, and they were transported to hospitals in the nearby city of Saidu Sharif. Security forces cordoned off the area, launched an investigation, and conducted a search operation.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, extended condolences to the victims' families, and prayed for the swift recovery of the wounded.
