Under fire: Four security, police personnel injured in two bomb attacks

Military convoy attacked in city; police unit targeted in Mardan

PESHAWAR/MARDAN:

Four security and police personnel were injured in two separate bomb attacks in Peshawar and Mardan in a span of less than eight hours, sending alarm bells ringing of security threats in other cities.

In the first incident, a military truck was damaged when a security forces convoy on its way to Peshawar was attacked with a roadside bomb. The incident took place near the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway Toll Plaza early in the day.



Two soldiers suffered slight injuries when they were hit by broken glass.

SSP Operation Dr Mian Saeed told The Express Tribune a remote-controlled improvised explosive device (IED) weighing around four kilogrammes was used in the attack. He said security forces were the obvious target.

A security forces official also confirmed the attack and said 11 personnel were in the truck at the time. He confirmed minor injuries to two personnel.

Police said the IED was planted near an electricity pylon on the Motorway. “There were many vehicles in the convoy, but they were travelling at a safe distance from each other and that is why the others escaped the attack,” the official added. Banned militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility in a mail sent to the media.

Police under attack

Later Sunday evening, a police mobile of Par Hoti police station in Mardan was attacked. The mobile was parked near a CNG station when motorcyclists rode towards the vehicle and lobbed a hand grenade at it, officials said.

The grenade exploded and resulted in serious injuries to Constable Muhammad Ali and Faqeer Muhammad who were shifted to a hospital for treatment. Hospital sources said the officials were out of danger and being treated.



The motorcyclists reportedly fled the scene after committing the crime. A large-scale police search operation followed the incident and multiple suspects were arrested from the area for interrogation.

An alert had been issued for government installations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, particularly the provincial capital.At Saturday midnight, four loud explosions followed by gunfire and sirens were heard across the provincial capital. Panicked citizens feared an attack and called loved ones to enquire about their safety. However, it was later learnt the ruckus was caused by a security drill at the Bacha Khan International Airport to deal with any potential security situation.

State of security

The K-P police claimed a sharp decline in violence and terrorism in 2015. However, the devastating suicide attack on the NADRA office in Mardan on December 29, 2015 sent shockwaves across the province, claiming at least 26 lives.

A police official, meanwhile, said a search operation in the area surrounding the Peshawar attack resulted in the police taking more than 30 suspects into custody. They said a submachine gun and three pistols, along with other weapons, were seized from the suspects.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2016.