Ied explosion: Five policemen injured in Swat blast

MINGORA: At least five policemen and a child were injured in a roadside bomb blast in Swat on Tuesday.

An improvised explosive device (IED) planted near the Kalalay area of Bahrain tehsil targeted a police vehicle, which was destroyed in the explosion, police said. The IEDs weighed about eight kilograms.

Swat DIG Azad Khan told the media that the police van was part of the security team assigned to guard some guests of the Malakand commissioner.

The injured people were identified as police patrol in-charge Ehsanullah and his minor son Inamullah, police constables Ijaz Khan, Jamaluddin, Ashfaq Khan and van driver Waliullah.

The victims were shifted to hospital and are currently under treatment, the DIG said.

Security forces and law enforcement agencies have stepped up operations against militants in the past couple of months after a string of attacks. The latest attack comes in the midst of the tourist season in the scenic valley.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2016.