‘Mysterious blast’ reduces Swat CTD building to rubble

12 martyred while 53, mostly policemen, injured

SWAT:

An office of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) at Kabal area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) scenic Swat valley collapsed to the ground on Monday after a huge explosion that killed at least 12 people and injured 53 others, mostly policemen.

"The explosion occurred within the police station, resulting in the complete collapse of the building," Khalid Sohail, a senior police CTD officer told AFP.

Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Attaullah said dozens of people were trapped under the debris of the three-story building after the explosion that was heard miles away and that broke the windows of a number of neighboring buildings.

“Rescuers rushed to the area soon after the incident and cordoned it off. The rescue operation is still under way,” the DSP told the Express Tribune.

“A state of emergency has been announced at the Saidu Sharif Hospital which has so far received 12 dead bodies and 53 injured,” he said.

Talking to media later at night, District Police Officer Shafiullah Gandapur ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack on the CTD station, claiming that the explosions took place after the explosives stored inside the building detonated due to a short circuit.

He said around 50 CDT officials were present in the building at the time of the explosion.

Gandapur claimed that the bomb disposal squad could not find any evidence of a terrorist attack.

“More explosive material may be there inside the debris. I, therefore, request journalists not to stay too close to the explosion site,” he said.

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Interestingly, during the entire press conference, the DPO kept referring to the site of the explosion as “a crime scene” but also described the explosion as an accident.

He also acknowledged that the investigators have found the body of a man cut in half by the impact of the blast. “The investigators are trying to figure out who this body belongs to,” he added.

According to CTD Deputy Inspector General Khalid Sohail, people heard two explosions.

“There were mortar shells and ammunition inside the CTD office. It is possible that these mortar shells caught fire and detonated,” he said. However, Sohail also admitted the possibility of a suicide attack.

“It might be a suicide attack but in the case of Kabal incident, the explosions took place inside the building. In case of a suicide attack, the attackers usually detonate their explosive vests at the entrance,” he said.

Sohail said this was the old CTD building. “Most of the CTD offices are now located in a new building,” he said.

Interestingly, KP Inspector General Police (IGP) Akhtar Hayat Gandapur earlier told AFP that "a series of two to three bomb explosions occurred". He put the death toll at eight and the injured figure at more than 40 "with the majority of the victims being policemen".

 After the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took to Twitter to “strongly condemn suicide attack” on the CTD police station in Swat.

“Nation is deeply grieved over the martyrdom of police officials. Our police have been the first line of defence against terrorism. We will not rest until we eliminate this scourge. My condolences to bereaved families,” he wrote.

K-P Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan also “condemned” the incident while expressing sorrow over the loss of precious human lives.

Soon after the incident, CM Khan ordered authorities to expedite rescue work and provide medical treatment to the injured. He also prayed for the martyrs and the speedy recovery of the injured.

“The K-P police have made huge sacrifices for ensuring peace in the province. The sacrifices rendered by policemen will not go wasted,” he said in a statement.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility; however, two attacks on large police bases have been linked to the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), since the start of the year.

In January, a suicide bomber detonated his vest in a mosque inside a police compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing more than 80 officers as the building collapsed and rained down rubble on worshippers.

The following month, five were killed when a TTP suicide squad stormed a police compound in the southern port city of Karachi, prompting an hours-long shootout.

Pakistan has witnessed a dramatic uptick in attacks since the Taliban seized control of Kabul, focussed in its border regions with Afghanistan.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM AFP