Rickshaw Bomb Explodes in Pakistan Bazaar, Kills 9 and Injures Over Two Dozen

A deadly bomb explosion ripped through a crowded marketplace in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least nine people and injuring more than two dozen others in one of the latest terror-related attacks to hit the country’s volatile border region.

The blast occurred in the busy Sarai Naurang bazaar area of Lakki Marwat district in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to local police officials, the explosive device had been attached to a three-wheeled rickshaw parked near a traffic checkpoint. The powerful explosion tore through the market during peak business hours, sending panic and chaos across the area.

Authorities confirmed that at least nine people were killed in the attack, including two traffic police officers and a woman. More than 25 others suffered injuries, many of them civilians who were shopping or passing through the crowded bazaar at the time of the blast. Several nearby shops, vehicles, and roadside stalls were also badly damaged due to the intensity of the explosion.

Eyewitnesses described horrifying scenes moments after the explosion. Smoke filled the air as injured victims screamed for help while shopkeepers rushed to rescue people trapped under debris. Emergency teams and ambulances quickly arrived at the scene, transporting the wounded to nearby hospitals in Lakki Marwat and surrounding districts.

Police chief Azmat Ullah said preliminary investigations suggest that traffic police personnel may have been the intended target of the bombing. However, most of the casualties were ordinary civilians caught in the blast radius. Bomb disposal squads and forensic teams sealed off the area to collect evidence and determine the exact nature of the explosives used.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Suspicion initially fell on the banned militant organization Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out several deadly attacks in the region in recent years. However, the TTP later denied involvement in the bombing through a statement circulated on local media channels.

The attack comes only days after another major assault in nearby Bannu district, where multiple police officers were killed in a suicide bombing and gun attack on a security post. Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in militant violence since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. Security agencies in Islamabad have repeatedly accused militants operating from Afghan territory of planning attacks inside Pakistan, allegations denied by Kabul.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the Lakki Marwat bombing and expressed condolences to the families of the victims. In an official statement, he vowed that the government would continue its fight against terrorism and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.

Security forces have increased patrols and checkpoints across sensitive areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following the attack. Authorities fear that militant groups may attempt more strikes targeting police and security personnel in the coming weeks as tensions continue to rise along Pakistan’s western border.