Pakistan blast: Deadly roadside bomb kills five, including senior official, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; cops suspect TTP
Pakistan blast: A deadly roadside bomb blast killed at least five people, including an assistant commissioner, in Bajaur district in Khar tehsil of Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region on Wednesday. As many as 11 others were injured in the bombing that targeted a government vehicle on Nawagai Road in Bajaur, causing significant damage, Dawn reported.
Who were killed in the Bajaur blast?
Bajaur District Police Officer Waqas Rafique confirmed that five people, including two policemen and a civilian, were killed in the explosion targeting a government vehicle on Nawagai Road in Siddiqabad railway attack area of Khar tehsil. The victims include Nawagai Assistant Commissioner Faisal Ismail, Tehsildar Abdul Wakil, Subedar Noor Hakim, police constable Rashid, and one civilian, the report said.
“The blast was so intense that the vehicle targeted was destroyed,” the officer said.
Was TTP behind the attack?
The district police suspect the bomb attack to be the handiwork of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group, which has a significant presence in the region.
KP Inspector General of Police (IG) Zulfiqar Hameed has sought a report on the blast from the Malakand regional police officer (RPO), and also ordered to speed up intelligence-based operations against the TTP. He also directed the Counter-Terrorism Department’s additional inspector general of police to send a special team to Bajaur.
“A special branch is obtaining intelligence related to the incident,” Hameed said, adding that according to initial information, the TTP targeted the assistant commissioner’s vehicle.
Hameed said that teams were formed “to arrest the elements involved in the incident while all necessary evidence is being collected from the spot”, adding that bomb disposal teams were present on site.
Emergency imposed in hospitals
Meanwhile, officials said security has beefed up in the area and relief activities are underway. The injured have been taken to Khar Hospital for treatment, where an emergency has been imposed.
In a statement, KP Health Adviser Ihtisham Ali strongly condemned bombing and expressed grief over the loss of lives. Ali contacted the district health officer and the medical superintendent of the District Headquarters Hospital in Khar Bajaur and inquired about the well-being of those injured in the attack, Dawn reported.
“An emergency has been imposed in Bajaur hospitals, and health department staff have been alerted for first aid,” the health adviser said, while assuring that complete medical assistance would be provided to the injured.
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