A SUICIDE car bombing in north-west Pakistan on Saturday killed at least 14 soldiers and wounded 25 people, including civilians, officials said.

The attack targeted a military vehicle in North Waziristan around lunchtime despite a curfew across the tribal district to facilitate the movement of security forces, the intelligence officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

An initial investigation said 1,760 pounds of explosives were used in the assault, causing severe damage to houses in the area.

The wounded were 15 soldiers and 10 civilians, including children, the officials said. Pakistan’s military blamed the incident on rival India, without providing evidence.

A Pakistani Taliban faction, the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, claimed responsibility for the bombing.

North-west Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is home to several outlawed militant groups that frequently attack security personnel. Pakistan blames Afghanistan for giving them haven, a charge denied by Kabul.

In March, Pakistani analyst Abdullah Khan told reporters that the Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction was “more lethal” than the Pakistani Taliban.

Mr Khan, the managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, also said there was a revival of banned organisations like Lashkar-e-Islam, which operates from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, contributing to an overall escalation of militant activity in Pakistan.