In the crosshairs: Levies constable, policeman killed in targeted blast

This is the second attack on LEAs in six days, fourth since 2011 in Torghar.

TORGHAR:

Two law enforcement officials were killed and another injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near a police van in Torghar on Friday. This is the second such attack in six days which targeted members of the police force in the district.

According to DPO Iftikharuddin, a Karwal police station van was en route to Judba District Headquarters Friday morning. As it reached Michra, within the jurisdiction of Darbani station, an IED buried along the roadside exploded after it was remotely detonated.

The blast killed levies constable Naseeb Bahadur and police constable Fayaz Khan instantly. The driver of the van, Ajab Khan, sustained injuries. Ajab was rushed to Battagram District Headquarters Hospital from where he was referred to Ayub Medical Complex, Abbottabad. Doctors shared his condition was quite critical.

“Terrorists used three to four kilogrammes of explosive material in the IED,” said Iftikharuddin.

According to local witnesses, DSP Zarin Khan was also travelling in the same van but was saved by a timely pit-stop. They said Zarin escaped unhurt as he stepped out of the vehicle moments before the blast to answer the call of nature.

However, due to poor mobile connectivity, the news about Zarin Khan could not be confirmed from either the DSP or DPO despite repeated attempts.

Terrorising Torghar

In the early hours of June 16, a group of 10-15 armed men stormed Mangrai police post, close to Judba. After the attackers hurled a grenade at the post, many of the policemen fled, leaving four to man the post. The next grenade left the remaining four injured. One of them reported the militants were members of the Taliban who had attempted to chop off their right hands after they were knocked unconscious from the second blast. Doctors later declared their hands would have to be amputated due to the severity of the injuries.

The DPO ruled out the involvement of the Taliban and blamed criminal gangs instead.

Since 2011, the district of Hazara has witnessed four significant militant attacks, including Friday’s IED.

In the first such terrorist attack on October 1, 2011 a police van carrying recruits from Torghar to Abbottabad drove over an IED planted on the roadside. The explosion killed five recruits and injured 15 others.

On April 24, 2013, in another act of terrorism, a time-bomb killed a police constable and left two others injured, including another constable. The cops had been patrolling the banks of River Indus near Kandar checkpoint.

The third blast was reported on May 9, 2013 in Surmal, a village some kilometres from the district headquarters. It resulted in the death of four people, including a police constable and three civilians who were filling water pitchers near a spring. This explosive was a timed device, police had said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2014.