Attack on education: Two schools, medical clinic targeted in similar attacks

PESHAWAR/ DI KHAN: In what seemed like uncannily similar bomb attacks, two government-run schools and a private clinic were targeted in different areas near Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar.

In all three attacks twin bombs were employed to blow up parts of the buildings. Interestingly, police in all the separate incidents claimed that one of the bombs exploded while the second was diffused. Fortunately, because of the timing of the attacks, which either took place late Saturday night or early Sunday morning – there were no fatalities.

Three rooms, a veranda and the walls of a public middle school were destroyed in Dera town, about 8km from Dera Ismail in the early hours of Sunday morning, officials from Dera Town Police Station said.

According to the officials, 18 kgs of explosives, packed in two tin cans, were placed near the school building. One went off while the other was diffused by the police. An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons and investigation is underway.

A senior teacher of the school, Mazhar Hussain said the primary section of the building was intact but the middle school section was destroyed. Hussain and other teachers were trying to uncover school supplies and records amid the debris. They said no threat had been received.

107 students are enrolled in the school – 60 in the middle section and 47 in the primary section.

Similarly, in the Terai Bala village within the Mathra Police Station jurisdiction, another public primary school was targeted.

Police said two improvised explosive devices were planted inside the building of the boys primary school. Here too, one bomb exploded while the other, the police claim, was diffused. One room and the boundary wall of one side were destroyed.

"Two bombs, each of about 12kgs, were planted and only one of them exploded while the other was diffused by the bomb disposal squad," SHO of the area, Granullah said.

Locals said the same school had been destroyed earlier also in 2008 and the building had recently been re-constructed.

In the past five years, many public and private school have been targeted in the jurisdiction of the same police station.

Meanwhile, a private medical clinic was blown up in the Sulaiman Khel area within the jurisdiction of the Badaber Police Station on the outskirts of Peshawar late Saturday night. Police said the clinic is owned by a local doctor named Misal Khan.

The blast completely destroyed the small building and also inflicted damage to adjacent houses.

"One bomb exploded while the other was diffused successfully," said local SHO Abidur Rehman, adding that it was the first incident of a clinic being targeted in his jurisdiction.