Peshawar A string of brutal attacks across northwest Pakistan left 23 people dead on Friday, officials said, in what local authorities say was a coordinated assault claimed by the Pakistani Taliban.
The violence hit several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province that borders Afghanistan. In the border Khyber district, 11 paramilitary troops were killed in fighting, officials reported. In Dera Ismail Khan, a suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed car into the gate of a police training school and gunmen then stormed the site killing seven policemen and injuring 13 others. Local police said security forces later killed six of the attackers during the clash.
“We lost seven police personnel and 13 were wounded; six terrorists were also killed,” said Muhammad Hussain, a senior local police official.
A separate clash in Bajaur district left five people dead, including three civilians, according to security sources. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) posted messages on social media taking responsibility for the attacks.
The incidents marked a sharp spike in violence in a region that has long struggled with militant activity. Authorities are still piecing together the sequence of events and the full toll, while security forces push to secure the affected areas and hunt for any remaining suspects. Families of the victims are mourning, and officials say investigations are underway to determine how the attackers planned and coordinated the raids.