<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>At least 23 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a Pakistan army base on Tuesday, an official said, in an attack claimed by militants affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The early-morning attack targeted a base in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border, according to a local official who spoke on condition of anonymity.</div><div><br></div><div>"Many of them were killed while they were sleeping and in civilian clothes so we are still determining if they are all military personnel," the official added.</div><div><br></div><div>An additional 27 people were wounded when the explosive-laden suicide vehicle detonated at a school building which had been commandeered as a makeshift military base, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Three rooms had collapsed and efforts were underway to pull bodies from the ruins, with fears the toll could rise further still, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan -- a new group affiliated with the Pakistan Taliban -- said the assault began around 2:30 am (2130 GMT) with a "martyrdom attack" by one fighter before others stormed the compound.</div><div><br></div><div>Pakistan's army have not yet commented on the incident.</div><div><br></div><div>Pakistan has witnessed a dramatic spike in militant attacks, mainly in its border regions with Afghanistan, since the Taliban returned to power there in 2021.</div><div><br></div><div>Analysts say Islamist fighters have been emboldened by the neighbouring insurgency's success following the withdrawal of US forces in 2021.</div><div><br></div><div>The first half of 2023 saw a nearly 80 percent spike in attacks compared to last year, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.</div><div><br></div><div>Islamabad alleges that hostile groups operate from "sanctuaries" across the border, a charge the Taliban government routinely denies.</div><div><br></div><div>The biggest threat to Pakistan is its domestic chapter of the Taliban known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which shares lineage and ideology with Kabul's rulers.</div><div><br></div><div>In January, the TTP was linked to a mosque bombing which killed more than 80 police officers inside a headquarters in the northwestern city of Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, reports AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>Islamabad also said four troops were killed in September during a cross-border raid by "hundreds" of TTP fighters in Chitral, an area popular with domestic tourists.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>