On 24 April 2023, an explosion in the Counter-Terrorism Department building in

Kabal, Swat Kabal (Urdu and ps, ) is a town in Swat District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan located from Mingora city. The old name of kabal was ''Chendakhwara''. It is the tenth largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 82nd largest in Pakistan ...

Valley, Pakistan, killed at least 17 people and wounded more than 50 others. Although the origin of the explosion is still being looked into, it is assumed that either an ancient ammo store or the explosive material kept in the building's basement caught fire. Although their role is unconfirmed,

Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (; Abbreviation, abbr. TJP) is an insurgent Deobandi jihadism, Deobandi jihadist group in Pakistan that has gained notoriety for its involvement in Terrorism in Pakistan, attacks on Pakistani military and police targets. ...

(TJP) claimed responsibility for the attack a day later.

Background

The

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Durand Line, Afghan–Pa ...

(TTP) has been implicated in a number of recent attacks against security personnel. Up until 2014, the TTP ruled over the Swat Valley and other regions of northwest Pakistan until significant degradation by the Pakistani military.

Investigation

According to Sharifullah Khan, a police official in Kabal, the explosions were caused by a fire that started in the basement of the CTD building, where explosives were being kept. The authorities were looking into whether it was an attack, but provincial police chief Akhtar Hayat believes that old ammunition storage in the building may have caused the explosion. The explosion did not seem to be an act of terrorism, according to Sohail Khalid, the regional head of the counter-terrorism division, who spoke to Reuters. The Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for a probe.

References

{{reflist Kabal explosions Kabal explosions Kabal explosions Explosions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Swat District