A devastating suicide bombing occurred outside a district court in Islamabad on Tuesday, resulting in 12 fatalities and 27 injuries, according to Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The attacker detonated explosives near a police vehicle after failing to enter the court premises. The explosion, heard miles away, struck during peak hours when the area was bustling with visitors attending hearings. Initial reports from Pakistani state media and security officials suggested a car bomb was responsible, but investigators later confirmed it was a suicide bomber. No militant group has claimed responsibility yet, but Pakistan has been grappling with a resurgence of attacks by the Pakistani Taliban and other extremist factions. The casualties included passersby and individuals with court appointments. Authorities are investigating all aspects of the attack, with no immediate statements from Islamabad police. This incident follows a thwarted militant attempt to take cadets hostage at an army-run college in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province earlier on Tuesday. The Pakistani Taliban denied involvement in the college attack, which saw two militants killed and three cornered in an administrative block. Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant violence in recent years, including the 2014 Peshawar school massacre that claimed 154 lives. Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have also escalated, with recent cross-border clashes and failed peace talks in Istanbul.
Pakistan’s interior minister says a suicide bomber struck outside the Islamabad court, killing 12
