A suspected militant was also killed after engaging the police in a chase and encounter in Maneri Bala area of Swabi district. PHOTO: EXPRESS/ FILE
Police in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had their hands full on Friday as militants pounded a check post in Khyber Agency, and multiple bombs across the province claimed at least two lives and left another five people injured.
A suspected militant was also killed after engaging the police in a chase and encounter in Maneri Bala area of Swabi district.
Dozens of militants surrounded the check post in Mattani, along the border of Akka Khel, Khyber Agency on Friday night, using RPG-7 rockets and machine guns to ambush the security fort. Police and Frontier Constabulary (FC) contingents manning the check post, however, repulsed the attackers after an hour of intense gun battle.
In Swabi, police spotted two suspected militants on a motorcycle in Pertab Bandha and signalled them to stop. The suspects, however, tried to escape following which police chased them, said District Police Officer Abdur Rasheed.
He said one of the militants managed to escape while the other barged into a house in the nearby neighbourhood. Consequently, a heavy contingent of policemen rushed to the scene and surrounded the house where the militant was believed to be hiding. Rasheed added that residents were also told to evacuate their houses.
The militant opened fire and hurled a hand grenade towards the police after which the policemen retaliated with fire. Khan, however, said the militant was killed after a grenade exploded in his own hand.
Another police official said the suspected militant killed himself with the hand grenade after realising he would be arrested. His body was shifted to District Headquarters Hospital for autopsy.
A resident of the neighbourhood and eyewitness, Hameed Bacha said an explosion was heard from inside the house of Fazl Daud five minutes after the police asked locals to evacuate the area.
Meanwhile, two people were killed and one injured in a bomb explosion in Badhaber area on the outskirts of the provincial capital on Friday evening.
Locals said Amanullah was killed on the spot while Ijaz was injured and rushed to Lady Reading Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Police said the bomb had been planted to ground the electricity pylon in Gul Khan forest area, resulting in suspension of electricity.
In yet another separate attack, four people including a peace militia chief were injured when unidentified attackers hurled a hand grenade inside their guest room in Nurar area of Bannu district.
SHO Miryan Police Najeeb Khan said that at around 6pm, unidentified assailants hurled a grenade inside the guest house of Malik Qalandar Shah, injuring Shah and three others.
Shah is the chief of the Nurar peace militia and was rushed to a nearby private clinic. One of the injured was discharged after being administered with first aid, while Shah and two others remained in critical condition.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2013.
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