PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A roadside explosion targeted a vehicle of security personnel in the troubled northwestern region of Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of four officers and injuries to five others, as reported by officials on Thursday. In a separate incident on the same day, two schoolchildren lost their lives due to a mortar blast in a different area of the northwest.

The deadly roadside incident occurred on Wednesday in the South Waziristan district, which was once a stronghold for the Pakistani Taliban. Local police officer Dilawar Khan provided the details regarding this incident. While no group has yet taken responsibility for the attack, the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, has been intensifying its operations in the region following the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan back in 2021.

On the same day, a mortar shell fired by insurgents exploded near a road in the Tirah valley located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, resulting in the tragic deaths of two schoolchildren who were walking to school, according to police sources.

Despite multiple military operations conducted by the Pakistani army against the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups in South Waziristan and adjacent tribal areas, such violent incidents continue to occur frequently.

In a related development, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with Chinese ambassador Jiang Zaidong in Islamabad on Thursday. The purpose of the meeting was to update the ambassador on an ongoing investigation regarding an incident that took place on Tuesday, where a guard at a Karachi textile mill shot and injured two Chinese nationals, purportedly over a personal dispute.

China has consistently urged for enhanced security measures for its citizens working in Pakistan, particularly in light of the multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which has seen numerous Chinese nationals employed in various sectors, including factories within the country.