Pakistan: IED blast injures 11 in Peshawar December 16

Event

An improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in front of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly at around 12:00 (local time) on Monday, December 16, injuring 11 people, including one policeman. According to authorities, the IED was planted inside a rickshaw parked outside the PHC.

Authorities cordoned off the area and an investigation is ongoing. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Details are still emerging.

Context

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qai'da, Islamic State (IS) affiliates, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Afghan Taliban, and other Islamist militant groups continue to pose a threat throughout the country despite continued army offensives to push them from their northwestern strongholds near the Afghan border. Pakistan has suffered numerous deadly attacks in recent months, notably in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.

Advice

Individuals in Peshawar, and Pakistan more generally, are advised to remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious objects or behavior to the relevant authorities. Due to a high threat from terrorism, as well as kidnapping and sectarian violence, some Western governments advise their citizens against nonessential travel to the country as foreign nationals, and in particular Westerners, may be directly targeted.