At least 12 people were killed and 35 others injured on Saturday when a powerful explosion struck a joint anti-smuggling checkpoint near Aman Mela in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan, officials said. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Police said an explosives-laden vehicle was rammed into the checkpoint, causing a major blast. The dead included nine men, two women and a child, while one Customs official was among those killed. Police said no Pakistan Army or police personnel were among the deceased. 

The checkpoint had been established for anti-smuggling operations along the Dera Ismail Khan-Quetta route. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfikar Hameed said police, security forces and Counter-Terrorism Department teams immediately reached the site after the........

© Naya Daur