At least 13 security personnel were killed and 24 others injured in a suicide attack on Saturday in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, security sources said.

A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle belonging to the Bomb Disposal Unit early this morning in Khaddi area of North Waziristan district, the sources added.

Among the 24 injured are 14 civilians, including women and children, with several said to be in critical condition.

A curfew was imposed in the area at the time of the incident due to ongoing military movement, the sources said.

Security agencies launched a rescue operation following the explosion.

The militant group Usud al-Harb, a sub-faction of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, has claimed responsibility for the attack, they added.

This incident is being described as one of the deadliest in North Waziristan in recent months and has raised serious concerns about the security situation in the region.

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