Two explosions occurred at a counterterrorism police compound in northern Pakistan, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens. The area where the attack took place, the Swat Valley of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, has seen a notable increase in militant activity. Pakistani Taliban militants have repeatedly targeted the police, particularly counterterrorism department officials, in recent months. While some investigators insisted there was no evidence that the deadly blasts were caused by an attack, police officials have said that the detonation occurred in the basement of the police compound, where weapons and munitions captured from militants had been stored, and that an electric short-circuit or some spontaneous detonation may have caused the explosions. Former members of Parliament and a group of activists in the area claimed the explosions were terrorist attacks. Swat, a picturesque valley, has had a troubled history with terrorism, falling into the hands of the Taliban in 2007 before being retaken by the Pakistani military in 2009. Swat is also home to Malala Yousafzai, an activist for girls’ education in the region who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012. The area had reappeared on the radar of security officials, with reports of militants reappearing last August.
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