A string of bombings rocked the Kurram tribal region on Friday, killing one person and injuring over a dozen more.
“A bomb went off in Sadda Bazaar around Friday prayers,” said Assistant Political Agent (APA) of Lower Kurram Agency Arif. “One person was killed and a dozen were wounded,” he added.
“It was a time-device which was planted in a cart parked between Maghaz and Akbar Khan markets,” the APA said. He added that three of the injured were in a critical condition. The explosion triggered a fire in the markets which gutted eight shops.
There were few shoppers at the time of the blast. “Fortunately, people were mostly inside the mosque offering Friday prayers,” he added.
In April, 14 people were injured when a time bomb hidden in a cart had exploded near Sadda taxi stand.
Meanwhile an improvised explosive device (IED), planted on a roadside went off in the Sateen area of Lower Kurram Agency. No loss of life was reported.
In a third incident, a tractor hit a roadside bomb in the Khar Kallay area in Lower Kurram, an official said. Two people travelling in the tractor were wounded in the explosion. The injured were taken to the Sadda Hospital for treatment.
Five militants killed in Orakzai Agency clash
Two security personnel were injured in a clash between militants and security forces in Barlas area of Upper Orakzai Agency on Friday. Security forces claim to have killed five militants in the clash.
A security official said that the clash started after security forces advanced to clear the area from militants in the agency, adding that two security personnel, identified as Ikram and Rasheed, were injured.
There have been constant clashes between the security forces and the militants in Upper Orkazai Agency and the forces have had to face resistance, while the security officials claim to have cleared 97% of the area of militants.
(WITH Additional reporting by Our Correspondent in HANGU)
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2012.
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