Swat peace rally attack kills 14 after bomber stopped at police station

Peshawar,UPDATED: Aug 2, 2026 21:54 IST

At least 14 people, including five security personnel, were killed and more than a dozen others injured in a suicide attack on a police station during a peace rally in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, officials said. The blast took place while the Swat Peace Rally was under way opposite the police station in Kabal town in Swat district.

No group or individual has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Officials said the timely response by police prevented the attacker from entering the compound, averting what they said could have been a much larger tragedy.

A Rescue 1122 Swat spokesperson said nine bodies were shifted to Central Hospital Saidu Sharif, while doctors at Kabal Hospital confirmed five more deaths, taking the total toll to 14. By 9 pm local time, rescue teams had provided emergency medical assistance to more than 15 injured people and shifted them to different hospitals for treatment. The rescue operation was carried out on the directives of Director General Rescue 1122 Shah Fahad under the supervision of District Emergency Officer Swat Shoaib Mansoor.

The Swat Peace Rally had been organised by Swat Aman Jirga, a local tribal council. Those taking part raised slogans and carried placards demanding peace in the area, and alleged that police inaction had led to a worsening of the security situation over the past few months.

According to the District Police Officer of Swat, the suspected suicide bomber tried to enter the Kabal Police Station and Police Lines compound but was stopped by police personnel at the main gate. The attacker then detonated the explosive device, damaging the gate and failing to get into the heavily secured compound, the officer said. Regional Police Officer Malakand Syed Fida Hassan Shah said the police action had prevented far greater casualties. The Kabal Police Compound houses the police station, Police Lines, a facilitation centre and several other government offices.

The Deputy Inspector General of Malakand said the dead included five police personnel, among them an officer, as well as three civilians and one child. Security forces sealed off the area and began an investigation, collecting forensic evidence to establish the nature and circumstances of the attack. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Suhail Afridi and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the blast, with the chief minister asking the Inspector General of Police to submit a report and expressing condolences to the families of those killed. The attack during the peace rally left 14 people dead, injured several others and triggered a security investigation in Swat.

With PTI Inputs

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