At least one person died while several others were left injured in a blast that occurred during a cricket match in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday, police said. The explosion took place at Kausar Cricket Ground in Khar tehsil of Bajaur district.
The District Police Officer confirmed that the blast was carried out through an improvised explosive device, the Dawn newspaper reported. It said that a man died while children among several others have sustained injuries.
District Police Officer Waqas Rafique said, “It appears to be a targeted attack.”
As of now, no group claimed responsibility for the attack. However, police officials in Pakistan have blamed it on terrorists in light of Operation Sarbakaf launched by security forces last month.
According to the report, at least three militants and a police personnel were killed in two separate incidents in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province last week. The militants were killed during a police encounter in the jurisdiction of Lachi police station in Kohat district of the province, police said.
Police official killed in another incident
In a separate case on the same day, some unidentified assailants attacked a police van near the Darmalak police checkpost in Lachi tehsil.
The ambush led to the death of a police constable. These attacks raise serious concern on the security situation in Pakistan’s northwestern region, where forces continue to tackle militant activities.