IED blasts kill three in tribal belt

Four more injured in separate explosions in Mohmand, North Waziristan

BANNU/SHABQADAR: A string of bomb blasts in the tribal areas left at least three people dead and four others injured on Friday, just a day after militants killed nine paramilitary soldiers in targeted attacks.

Two men were killed and two others were injured when a planted improvised explosive device (IED) went off in the Mama Ziarat area of Datakhel tehsil in North Waziristan.

Security officials suspected the militants planted the IED to target the security forces. But the homemade bomb hit a vehicle driven by civilians coming to Bannu from Data Khel near the Mama Ziarat village. Two persons died on the spot while two injured men were moved to hospital.

Soon after attack, security forces launched a search operation in the surrounding areas.

More explosions

Two similar blasts in Mohmand Agency left one man dead and another injured.

The political administration said an IED planted in the Safi Ziarat Khwar area went off, killing one civilian Muhammad Alam.

In the second such incident in the Sara Khawa Baidmani area of Baizai subdivision, an IED exploded while bomb disposal experts were working to defuse it.



The resulting blast injured a security officer, who was shifted to the Frontier Constabulary headquarters hospital in Ghallanai.

Later the FC personnel launched a search operation in the area and arrested 22 suspects.

Security has been strengthened in the entire agency with checkpoints on entrance and exit points all on high-alert. The tribesmen have been asked to limit their activities at night.

Another IED explosion left one man injured in the Janikhel frontier region connecting Bannu with North Waziristan.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th,  2016.