Rehman Gul Khattak, a senior North Waziristan official, said workers were busy building a new checkpoint for the Pakistani army. An improvised explosive device was planted in the car they were in.
This “act of terrorism” is “a senseless act of violence,” Pakistan’s acting Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said. The country has been facing a deteriorating security situation for several months, especially in the border areas of Afghanistan, reports AFP.
North Waziristan is one of the former semi-autonomous tribal regions in the northwest of the country, where the Pakistani army carries out numerous operations against radical Islamists.
Islamabad claims that some attacks are planned from Afghan territory, Kabul denies this. In early August, following new allegations from Pakistan, Afghan Defense Minister Mohammed Yacoub announced a warning by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzade against any attack on its citizens outside the country.