Vehicle bomb in Pakistan kills 13 soldiers

Thirteen Pakistani soldiers died on Saturday in a bombing attack on their convoy, according to the Pakistan Armed Forces. As the convoy passed through the country’s North Waziristan District near the border with Afghanistan, terrorists rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into one of the army vehicles leading a convoy. The resulting blast killed the soldiers and severely injured a woman and two children, according to the Pakistani military.

Who was responsible for the attack? The Pakistani military on Saturday blamed an Islamic terror group they said was sponsored by India for the deaths. The military also said it pursued and killed 14 terrorists in an intense exchange of fire on Saturday.

However, a wing of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a faction of the Pakistan Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the BBC.

How did India respond to the accusation? The country’s Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday said it rejected the accusation with what it characterized as the contempt it deserved.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on the Air India disaster earlier this month.