Suicide blast targeting DI Khan checkpost claims 12 lives, injures 30

Suicide blast targeting DI Khan checkpost claims 12 lives, injures 30.

Key points

• Muhammad Irfan Mughal Published September 26, 2026 Updated September 27, 2026 01: 42am.
• While Anees sustained injuries in the firing, according to a Rescue 1122 spokesperson, the deceased rescue workers were identified as Sharifullah and Imtiaz.
• State broadcaster Radio Pakistan attributed the attack to Fitna al Khawarij, a term the state uses to refer to the banned Tehreek-I-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
• DI Khan Regional Police Officer (RPO) Ghulam Mubashir Maken, citing an initial assessment, confirmed the casualties from the blast.
• The Aman Mela checkpost, located near Mughal Kot and Darazinda on the DI Khan-Quetta Road, is applied by police for security and checking along the route.

Muhammad Irfan Mughal Published September 26, 2026 Updated September 27, 2026 01: 42am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A dozen individuals lost their lives while 35 others were injured on Saturday when a vehicle laden with explosives was rammed into the Aman Mela police checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan's Darazinda tehsil, office-holders noted.

Separately, two rescue workers were killed and another was injured when a Rescue 1122 ambulance came under fire while transporting bodies of victims from the blast.

DI Khan Regional Police Officer (RPO) Ghulam Mubashir Maken, citing an initial assessment, confirmed the casualties from the blast. He clarified that no law enforcement or security personnel were among the deceased. It included a Customs official and civilians. The deceased comprised nine men, two women and a minor.

According to police and Rescue 1122 authorities, an unidentified attacker rammed the explosives-laden tractor trolley into the checkpost. According to DI Khan District Police Officer (DPO) Ziauddin Ahmed, it was a suicide blast.

Meanwhile, the blast destroyed a sizeable portion of the checkpost and completely demolished a house adjacent to the post. The intensity of the explosion was such that it was heard over a considerable distance, according to local authorities and residents. Heavy firing was additionally heard after the blast.

For context, the Aman Mela checkpost, located near Mughal Kot and Darazinda on the DI Khan-Quetta Road, is applied by police for security and checking along the route. It is situated close to the border between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

According to RPO Maken, 25 of the injured were taken to the district headquarters (DHQ) hospital. Meanwhile, District Excise Officer Faheem Wazir remarked Excise personnel present at the checkpost remained safe.

In practice, a bomb disposal team was additionally sent to the site to determine the nature of the explosion and examine the scene, police stated.

DPO Ahmed and the superintendent of police for the Saddar area had reached the site shortly after the explosion and supervised the rescue operation. According to A Rescue 1122 spokesperson, their teams were on the site for relief operations, but mobile phone services were unavailable in the area.

Afterwards in the day, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson stated the search, recovery and relief operation at the site had been completed.

More than 25 personnel, six ambulances and a fire vehicle took part in the relief operations, according to the rescue service. On the directions of District Emergency Officer (DEO) Mohammad Arif Khan, four extra ambulances with staff were dispatched from DI Khan to assist in evacuating the injured. 2 killed as ambulance comes under fire.

Rescue 1122 remarked two of its workers were killed while another was seriously injured when an ambulance transporting some bodies recovered from the blast site was targeted by unidentified assailants near Aman Mela.

Notably, the injured worker was provided immediate medical treatment and taken to a hospital. Despite the firing incident, rescue teams had continued the operation to transport the bodies and assist those affected by the blast.

For context, the report continued that an operation by the security forces against the terrorists was underway. 'Political priorities must reflect the pain of our individuals'.

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, in a video statement, condemned the attack and highlighted the funds allocated for police in KP's budget. He additionally once again called on a "policy shift" on the federal government's part regarding counterterrorism.

Meanwhile, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi sought a report from senior authorities on the incident and directed that every feasible medical facility be provided to those injured.

"The attack is a nefarious conspiracy by Fitna al-Hindustan Khawarij, " the governor remarked.

In practice, the state refers to designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna al Hindustan to highlight India's role in terrorism and destabilisation throughout Pakistan.

After the blast, Kundi additionally requested the PTI to call off its march to Islamabad planned for Oct 4.

Tagging CM Afridi's X account, he wrote: For the sake of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and our individuals, let us put political differences aside and stand together as one.

"Our individuals are paying the rate in blood. They deserve solidarity, security and leadership focused on protecting their lives."

In an earlier post on X, Kundi remarked, "At a time when KP is mourning, political priorities must reflect the pain of our people."

He asserted that the provincial administration "must take responsibility and put the security and lives of our people at the centre of its priorities".

"They do not need test matches or long marches. They need peace."

President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the blast in an official note issued by the Presidency and expressed grief over the lives lost.

Notably, the president ordered that the best medical facilities be provided to the injured, and that relief operations be created "more effective".

"Making innocent citizens and law enforcement personnel a target of terrorism is highly condemnable, " he was quoted as saying.

"Operations against terrorists belonging to Fitna al Hindustan and Fitna al Khawarij, who perpetrate heinous acts with foreign support, must be made more effective."

Denouncing the attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the loss of precious human lives.

He remarked the sacrifices of the nation's guardians in the war against terrorism "will never be allowed to go in vain". "The government is determined to completely eradicate terrorism from the country, " he was quoted as saying.

In an official note issued by his ministry, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi additionally strongly condemned the "suicide blast at the anti-smuggling Aman Mela police checkpost" and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families.

"The cowardly acts of kharjis cannot weaken the nation's firm resolve against terrorism, " he was quoted as saying, using a term the state employs to designate terrorists.

"Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is on the front lines of the fight against terrorism."

According to Naqvi, residents from all walks of life have created sacrifices against terrorism, adding that the state deeply values the sacrifices of martyrs.

According to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the "terrorist attack" in DI Khan, after the recent bloodshed in Kohat, was "another painful reminder of the terrorism threat Pakistan continues to confront".

"My deepest condolences to the families of our martyrs and prayers for the injured. The nation stands firmly with our courageous police, law-enforcement agencies and security forces, " he remarked.

For now, suicide blast targeting DI Khan checkpost claims 12 lives, injures 30 remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.