Under fire: Policeman killed, 11 others injured in attacks on law enforcers

Suicide bomber targets FC convoy, roadside bombs target police.

PESHAWAR/ BANNU/ DI KHAN:

One police official was killed while 11 other persons, including security officials, were injured in three separate bomb attacks in the province on Saturday – incidentally, following a peaceful Ashura.

Roadside blast

A policeman was killed while three others sustained injuries when their vehicle was targeted by a remote-controlled bomb planted along the roadside in Gura Jana village of Kulachi tehsil, DI Khan.

Kulachi police identified the deceased policeman as Abid, a resident of Kuch. The injured are Mudassar Ali, a resident of Bannu, and Attaullah and Khadim Hussain, residents of Nowshera.

According to a police official, the injured were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital and Teaching Hospital, DI Khan where they were said to be out of danger.

Wounded policeman Muddasar Ali told reporters he was in a vehicle along with 30 other officials. He added a mobile in front of their vehicle passed the bridge in Gura Jana safely, however, the bomb went off when their vehicle approached the bridge.

Ali added other policemen opened fire at a suspect, however, he managed to escape in nearby bushes. No one claimed responsibility for the attack till this report was filed.



FC convoy targeted

At least six people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) officials and a policeman, were injured in Bannu when a militant detonated an explosive-laden three-wheeler near an FC convoy passing over Kurram Bridge.

Bannu Superintendent of Police (SP) Investigation Shafiq Wazir told journalists the incident occurred at around 12:30pm when an FC convoy was heading to Bannu city along the Bannu-Kohat Road. The explosion occurred close to a supply truck and injured three FC officials, a policeman and two pedestrians.

The SP added the three-wheeler was completely destroyed in the explosion which also left a crater in the bridge and killed the militant driver. “A passenger van, pickup and a motorbike were also damaged in the blast,” said Wazir.

He added heavy contingents of police, paramilitary troops and security officials rushed to the site and cordoned it off. The injured officials were taken to Combined Military Hospital, Bannu and the pedestrians were shifted to Khalifa Gul Nawaz Medical Complex.

The injured FC officials were identified as Subidar Gulab Rahman, Naik Rahmat Karim and Lance Naik Halim. The policeman was identified as Muhammad Afzal Khursheed, while the pedestrians included Saleem Nawaz, a resident of Daud Shah, and Rasool Khan, a resident of North Waziristan Agency.

“Security in the district was further beefed up and the remains of the militant were sent for DNA tests,” shared Wazir.

Police mobile attacked

An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Bhanamari police sustained injuries when a roadside bomb exploded near a police van on Kohat Road near Syphon, in Peshawar.

The van was on routine patrol when the remote-controlled explosive device was detonated, damaging the vehicle and injuring ASI Aziz Khan along with a passer-by who was rushed to Lady Reading Hospital.

An official of the bomb disposal squad said around five kilogrammes of high quality explosives had been packed into the device which was planted along the roadside and detonated via a remote. He said the bomb, without doubt, meant to target the police.

A search operation was launched in the area soon after and three people were arrested on suspicion.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2013.