Two roadside bombs in restive northwestern Pakistan killed at least seven people on Saturday, authorities said.

The first targeted a vehicle, while the second went off as rescuers responded to the blast in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, senior police official Yasir Afridi said, adding both were controlled remotely.

Mr Afridi said five people were killed in the first blast and two in the second. Three people were also wounded, he said.

A search operation to find those responsible is underway.

“A private pick-up truck carrying passengers was targeted with a remote-controlled IED,” said Mr Afridi, using a common acronym for a homemade bomb.

“The injured were being transported to hospital in a car for emergency treatment when a second IED exploded,” he said, adding that three people were wounded.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, who have been blamed for similar attacks in the past.

President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the bombings. In a statement, he conveyed condolences to the families of those killed and prayed for the speedy recovery of the wounded.

Without naming any group, Mr Zardari issued a warning to “internal and external handlers of terrorism” who provide safe havens, logistical support and financial assistance to militant networks.

Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant violence in recent years, much of it claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The group is separate from, but allied with, Afghanistan’s Taliban, who seized power in Kabul in 2021.

Pakistani officials say many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuary across the border in Afghanistan, although the Taliban government in Kabul has repeatedly denied these accusations.

Relations between the two neighbours have deteriorated sharply in recent months, with tensions spilling over into military confrontations, including Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan.

Earlier this month, Pakistan said air strikes near the frontier killed at least 26 Taliban fighters. Afghan authorities, however, said the attacks left 12 civilians dead.

The main border crossings have remained largely shut since violence intensified in October, hampering trade and restricting the movement of people and goods between the two countries.