At least seven people were killed and 25 others injured when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest during a wedding ceremony in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, police said.
The blast occurred at the home of Noor Alam Mehsud, a pro-government community leader in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local police chief Adnan Khan. Victims were rushed to a hospital, where some of the wounded were reported in critical condition.
The attack struck while guests were dancing to drumbeats during the ceremony. No group has yet claimed responsibility, but suspicion may fall on the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out multiple attacks in the country over recent years.
The TTP, allied with but distinct from the Afghan Taliban, has gained strength since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. Many TTP leaders and fighters have reportedly found refuge in Afghanistan since then.