IED blast: Buner DPO survives attack

Mahmood Ahmad Hamdani, his security squad were en route to Saidu Sharif

BUNER/SWAT: The district police officer (DPO) of Buner survived an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Karakar on Wednesday.

Officials privy to the development told The Express Tribune Mahmood Ahmad Hamdani and his security squad were on their way to Saidu Sharif to attend a meeting with Malakand DIG.

Officials at Daggar tehsil, the headquarters in Buner, informed the media the DPO’s vehicle was targeted by an IED near Nawagai village. In the meantime, unidentified militants also lobbed a mortar shell at the DPO’s vehicle. However, the driver expertly steered the vehicle towards safety

At some distance from the site, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it slipped off the road, causing minor injuries to the people inside. The DPO was rushed to a hospital in Saidu Sharif where he was discharged after he was administered first-aid. Soon after IED attack, Swat and Buner police started a joint search operation in the area.

Awami National Party leader Sardar Hussain Babak has raised his voice against the attack.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2016.