14 killed, several injured in suicide bombing in northwestern Pakistan

The death toll from a suicide bombing outside a police station in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday evening climbed to 14, the government rescue service said.

The incident occurred in Kabal town in the scenic Swat valley in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when a group of local youths was protesting near the police station against the latest wave of terrorism in the region.

Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a spokesman for the rescue service commonly known as 1122, said in a statement that a rescue operation was underway as local hospitals confirmed 14 fatalities.

Another 21 people were injured in the bombing.

Mohammad Omer, the city police chief, told reporters that the suspected suicide bomber, who acted alone, blew himself up when he was intercepted by police personnel while trying to enter the police station.

Omer said a severed head was found at the bombing site, which might belong to the suicide bomber.

Authorities feared the death toll could rise as the condition of several injured people was reported to be critical.

Footage aired by local broadcaster Geo News showed rescue workers taking bodies and injured people to the hospital in ambulances with sirens blaring.

Pakistan’s northwestern and southwestern regions have seen an uptick in militant attacks in recent years, for which Islamabad blames “Afghanistan-based” militants affiliated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Kabul denies the accusation.