Mardan church hit by grenade attack

PESHAWAR:

Two policemen were injured in an attack on a local church in Mardan district early Monday, police said.

Unidentified persons, who were suspected to be militants, attacked the Sarhadi Church with hand-grenades around midnight, said a police official of Mardan Cantt police station.

Police said that the grenade was wrapped in a piece of cloth and lobbed at the gate of the church. The church’s gate and walls were damaged in the attack.

Two policemen on guard were injured and rushed to the Mardan City Hospital. One of them was identified as Fazl-e-Rabi.

Heavy contingents of police reached the spot and cordoned off the area. A search operation was also started. Police sources said that some suspects were taken into custody but it was not clear how many arrests were made.

Mardan is Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s second-largest city and also home to Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti.

This is the second attack on a minority place of worship in Mardan in the past 10 days. Earlier, on September 3, a suicide bomber struck at the entrance of an Ahmadi worship place, killing a policeman and injuring five others during Friday prayers.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2010.