Suicide Bomber Kills 7, injures 25 at Northwest Pakistan Wedding

A suicide bomber attacked a wedding ceremony in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least seven people and injuring 25, police said.

The explosion occurred at the home of Noor Alam Mehsud, a pro-government community leader in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local police chief Adnan Khan. The dead and injured were taken to a hospital, with several in critical condition.

Witnesses said guests were attending the ceremony, with some dancing to drums, when the bomber struck.

No group immediately claimed responsibility. Authorities suspect the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out numerous attacks in the country in recent years. The TTP is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban.

The group has reportedly grown stronger since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021, after U.S. and NATO troops left Afghanistan, providing TTP leaders and fighters with safe havens across the border.