Bombing at Pakistan checkpoint kills at least 11, injures 30

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a roadside police checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan, northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 11 people and injuring about 30, according to police and rescue officials. Some of the injured were reported to be in critical condition. The attack took place Saturday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the provincial emergency service, identified Dera Ismail Khan as the location. Police said the victims were being taken to a nearby hospital, while rescue teams responded at the scene. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban or TTP, claimed responsibility in a statement. The supplied reports do not independently establish who carried out the bombing, and the group’s claim remains an attribution rather than a verified finding. Accounts published on the day of the attack differed on the casualty toll. Police and rescue officials were cited in several reports as saying at least 11 people had died and about 30 were injured. Another report, citing senior security sources, gave a preliminary count of at least six dead and nearly 20 injured.