Accidental blast: Bodies of three would-be suicide attackers recovered

MULTAN:

Police on Thursday retrieved the bodies of three would-be suicide attackers from an area near the border between Khushab and Bhakkar districts. According to reports, the attackers intended to target the nuclear facility located in Khushab.

The bodies were recovered from the remains of a house destroyed in a blast next to a mosque in the Ali Khel rural area of Bhakkar – roughly 30 kilometres from the Khushab Nuclear Complex in Garot. Bhakkar district police officer (DPO) Saifullah Khan Khattak claimed the facility was a likely target for the three.

Police officials reached the site almost 11 hours after the incident took place. They initially denied reports of a blast in the area and blamed the media for propagating terror among locals. They confirmed it later, however, adding that the blast seemed accidental.

According to details, the three terrorists were wearing suicide jackets, each carrying 500g of explosives, at the time of the blast. They were planning to leave when the jackets blew up, destroying the one-room house they were staying in.

Police officials told The Express Tribune that the three men were probably accompanied by many others who managed to escape the blast. They said the footprints of more than 12 people, along with tracks from heavy vehicles, could be seen at the location.

Two of the three terrorists were identified by the police as Mandi Bahauddin residents Muawia Tariq and Omar Irfan. The bodies have been shifted to Bhakkar DHQ hospital for autopsy.

Investigations to trace the terrorists’ other companions are underway. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up at all entry and exit points in Bhakkar and Khushab districts.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2012.