Earlier in the day, two policemen were martyred when Deputy Superintendent of Police Hameedullah Dasti’s car came under heavy firing by unknown assailants on Sumungli Road in the provincial capital. PHOTO: EXPRESS
QUETTA: Four troops of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) were martyred and seven others were seriously injured when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vest at a check post in the outskirts of Balochistan’s provincial capital on Wednesday evening.
According to official sources, the incident took place in the mountainous area of Nosahar, some 30 km to the west of Quetta, where the FC has established multiple check posts to keep an eye on the movement of extremist elements.
“It was a suicide attack in which the bomber blew him up inside the check post,” an official source said. “There were over a dozen FC men present inside the post at the time of the blast,” he added.
“Our four men were martyred in the attack in the line of duty. Seven others got injured in the tragic incident. The check post was also badly damaged,” a senior security official said.
Two policemen martyred as DSP's car comes under attack in Quetta
After the explosion, the FC troops deployed at other check posts in the area and levies officials rushed to the site and started the rescue operation. They shifted the injured and bodies to a government hospital.
Sources said the remains of the victims were found at a distance from the check post.
Four victims of the suicide bombing were identified as Muhammad Aamir, Muhammad Imran, Javed Ahmed and Muhammad Rashid. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
Two cops martyred as DSP’s car attacked in Quetta
In a separate incident, two policemen were also martyred when the car of Deputy Superintendent of Police Hameedullah Dasti was fired at by unknown assailants at Quetta’s on Sumungli Road in early Wednesday morning.
“DSP Dasti remained safe in the attack,” confirmed an official of Balochistan police. The martyred cops were identified as Muhammad Thair and Ayoub Shah.
According to the police, DSP Dasti was on his way to office when his vehicle came under attack. “The attackers were already present at Sumungli Road when the DSP’s car reached the spot,” he added.
DSP Dasti remained safe as he was travelling in a double-cabin vehicle, but his four guards were in the open compartment and two of them fell prey to the terrorist fire. The remaining policemen fired back at the attackers, but they fled away.
“I have been working on some important cases and was to visit the court today in the same connection,” DSP Dasti told Express News. “I had been receiving threats from banned outfits as well,” he added.
The police cordon off the area and started a search operation.
Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo strongly condemned the attack and ordered an immediate inquiry. “Terrorists don’t deserve any leniency,” the CM stated as he expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
Last month, a Customs official was killed in a firing incident on the outskirts of Quetta. The reason behind the attack remained unclear. Quetta has been on a high alert for the past 10 days due to terror threats and a ban has been imposed on pillion riding because of this.
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