A devastating suicide bombing in northwestern Pakistan claimed the lives of at least five civilians, including three women and two children, late Thursday night.

Local authorities reported that a vehicle laden with explosives struck a residential home in the Bannu district of the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The attack, which occurred near Pakistan’s formerly self-governed tribal areas, appears to have missed its intended target.

Muhammad Sajjad Khan, a local police official, told AFP on Friday, "Apparently, the suicide bomber intended to target the police station, but in haste, he struck a civilian house before reaching it."

In addition to the five fatalities, at least four other individuals sustained injuries in the blast. Bannu Assistant Commissioner Ikramullah Khan confirmed the death toll.

While no group has officially claimed responsibility for the carnage, the region has seen a sharp escalation in violence since the Taliban's return to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) frequently carries out assaults against security forces in this border region.

The incident comes amid heightened diplomatic tensions, as Islamabad continues to accuse the Taliban government in Kabul of providing a safe haven for militants staging cross-border attacks—a charge the Afghan administration consistently denies.