A suicide bombing outside a police station in Swat Valley, northwestern Pakistan, has killed at least 14 people, including police officers and civilians. The attack occurred near a public gathering protesting rising violence in the region.

A suicide bombing struck outside a police station in Kabal, Swat Valley, on Sunday evening, resulting in at least 14 deaths and multiple injuries. According to regional police official Fida Hussain, the victims included five police officers and eight civilians, with the 14th fatality believed to be the suicide bomber himself. Another source reported at least 22 people wounded, while a police statement cited at least 18 injured. The exact casualty figures vary between official accounts.

The explosion occurred near a gathering of local residents who had assembled to protest the escalating violence plaguing the Swat Valley region. The blast detonated as the final speaker was addressing the crowd, scattering panicked residents. According to Swat District Police Officer Umar Khan, the bomber detonated explosives after police personnel attempted to stop and search him at the police station entrance. The demonstration had been organized to demand government action against a resurgence of militant activities in an area that previously served as a stronghold for the Pakistan Taliban before a 2009 military offensive.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to one source, though another indicates no group had claimed responsibility at the time of reporting. The bombing represents part of a broader surge in violence across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Recent weeks have seen a drone attack killing 11 police officers in Hangu district and a car bombing in Tank that killed 27 soldiers, which the TTP claimed. Pakistan has recorded 154 terrorism-related deaths in July alone, more than double June's toll.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack. The government has blamed Afghanistan's Taliban for sheltering militant groups, an accusation Kabul denies. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation, with the wounded transferred to hospitals in the nearby city of Saidu Sharif.