Police struggle to piece together Karkhano attack

CCTV cameras installed in the area did not cover the entry and exit point of the market

PESHAWAR/ LAKKI MARWAT: Police in the provincial capital has been unable to piece together details of a grenade attack on a check post near the entrance of the popular Karkhano market of the city late on Tuesday which left at least 10 people injured, as cameras installed at the market did not cover the particular spot.

Meanwhile, the toll of the blast rose as one of the wounded succumbed to their injuries on Wednesday.

Late on Tuesday evening, unidentified militants had lobbed a grenade at a checkpoint near the market, which lies at the confluence of Peshawar and the Khyber tribal district. The attack left around 10 people injured, including five women and police personnel.

Sources on Wednesday told The Express Tribune that even hours after the attack, no breakthrough could be made in the investigations. One reason for that was the lack of footage of the incident from closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in the market.

The sources said that CCTV cameras installed in the area by businessmen did not cover the route from which the militants approached the checkpoint.

The police, meanwhile, have registered a first information report (FIR) for the attack against unidentified assailants.

Further on Wednesday, a woman who had been injured in the attack succumbed to her injuries.

The remaining nine victims remain under treatment at the Hayatabad Medical Complex where doctors described the condition of two of the injured as critical.

Those injured in the attack have been identified as Arif, Yasin Umar and Hussain Pari from Peshawar, Abdul Razzaq from Dir, Muhammad Hanif Umer, Ayub Khan and Haroonullah from Karak.

CTD official killed

An official of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) was killed while another was injured in a gun attack in the Lakki Marwat district on Wednesday.

Lakki Marwat police said that unidentified gunmen riding a motorbike attacked two CTD officials identified as Hanifullah and Najibullah in the Landiwal area of the district.

Hanifullah was killed on the spot while Najibullah sustained serious injuries in the attack. Police added that the injured were rushed to the district headquarters hospital where his condition is said to be out of danger.

The body of Hanifullah was shifted to the Naurang Tehsil Headquarters hospital for a postmortem while the police registered a case against unidentified armed men and launched a search for the suspects.

Meanwhile, two people were killed over personal enmity in Lakki Marwat. Police said two armed men riding a motorbike fired on Kaleemullah and Tahir who died on the spot.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2020.