Two rescue workers killed as gunmen attack ambulance in DI Khan

Two Rescue 1122 workers were killed when gunmen opened fire on an ambulance carrying people wounded in an earlier explosion in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The ambulance attack followed a suspected suicide bombing at an anti-smuggling checkpoint that killed 11 people, ARY News reported, while Minute Mirror put the initial blast death toll at 12.

ARY News said the ambulance was shifting civilians injured in the Darazinda blast to a hospital in Dera Ismail Khan when it came under fire from Khawarij. Security sources told Minute Mirror that members of Fitna al-Khawarij targeted the vehicle, killing two rescue personnel. No further casualties from the ambulance attack were immediately reported.

The earlier blast took place at the Aman Mela, a joint police and customs checkpoint on the Dera Ismail Khan-Quetta Road. According to ARY News, the dead included six police officers, two customs officials, two women and a two-year-old child. More than 30 people were injured, including police personnel, customs officials and civilians, with some reported to be in critical condition. Minute Mirror reported 35 injured. Officials described the explosion as extremely powerful and said the death toll could rise.

Security forces launched an operation in the area following the two attacks, and it was continuing on Saturday, both outlets reported. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault, Minute Mirror said. The prime minister stated that the sacrifices of security personnel and others fighting terrorism would not be allowed to go in vain and reiterated the government's commitment to eliminating terrorism from the country.

The attack on an ambulance ferrying blast victims has renewed concerns about the dangers faced by rescue workers responding to emergencies in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where militant violence has repeatedly hit civilians and officials. The district administration had not immediately released a consolidated casualty figure. Authorities have not yet independently confirmed the identities of the attackers or the exact nature of the initial explosion.