Bomb-laden pickup defused in Kohat
More than 50 kilograms of explosives attached to a detonator were recovered in Kohat district. PHOTO: THE KHORASAN DIARY ON X
Kohat narrowly escaped a major tragedy on Friday when security forces intercepted a pickup vehicle loaded with explosives before it could reach its intended target. The vehicle was defused by a bomb disposal squad, preventing what officials described as a potential large-scale loss of life and property.
District Police Officer Shehbaz Elahi reached the scene and placed police across the district on high alert. Police, the Pakistan Army, and other security agencies cordoned off the area and launched a search operation, while the bomb disposal unit neutralised the explosives using specialised equipment.
Police officials speaking to The Express Tribune said additional checkpoints and snap checks were ordered across Kohat, with heightened surveillance at entry and exit points. “If the vehicle had reached its target, the district could have suffered irreparable human and financial losses,” a security official said.
ALERT: More than 50 kilograms of explosives attached to a detonator were recovered in Kohat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which police said was to target checkpoints and cause massive casualties, terming it a major disaster been averted. More details were awaited related… pic.twitter.com/4p1nt5pYdE
Separately, security forces killed at least three terrorists during a search operation in Dera Ismail Khan.
According to security sources, forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Rori area of Kulachi tehsil in Dera Ismail Khan after receiving intelligence about the presence of suspected militants. During the operation, a fierce exchange of fire took place between security personnel and armed suspects.
Three terrorists were killed in the clash, while reports indicated that three others were wounded. The search operation was continuing, with security forces expanding the sweep of the area amid the possibility of further arrests, sources said.
In another incident, armed men set ablaze the house of a retired Frontier Corps havildar in the Tirah Valley. Local sources said the residence of Abdul Rashid, a retired non-commissioned officer of the Frontier Corps, was torched in the Malik Din Khel, Lakha Tegh area, which falls within the jurisdiction of Tirah police station.
No casualties were reported in the arson attack, and investigations into the incidents were under way, officials said.