Bannu : Minor killed, five others injured in toy bomb explosion

Bomb defused outside girls primary school in Jamrud.

BANNU:

A child was killed and five others were injured when a toy bomb exploded inside a house in Basya Khel, on the outskirts of Bannu district on Sunday.

The six wounded children were taken to Bannu Headquarters Hospital in critical condition, where one, identified as Irfan, succumbed to his injuries. The other children identified as Aiman, Faryal, Asad Yar, Usman and Yousaf, all below the age of 12, remained unconscious till the filing of this report.

Nabi Shah, an official of the Basya Khel police, told The Express Tribune he was informed at around 4:15pm a bomb had exploded inside a house in Kotka Kachkot, Asad Khan Village. Shah said police rushed to the site where house owner Zar Muhammad told them the children were playing in a room when he heard a huge explosion.

The police official further added bomb disposal squad in charge Wasal Khan collected evidence from the site and reported the explosion was caused by a toy bomb.



Initial investigations revealed Irfan had found a football shaped toy in the street and had brought it home. It exploded while the children were playing with it.

Police have filed an FIR against unidentified militants.

This is the third incident of toy bombs in Bannu in the past year. On December 14, 2012, a girl and her aunt were severely injured when a bomb disguised as a ball exploded in their hands in Kotla Buland Khan. On July 31, 2012 three children were injured in Dogar Emarzai on the outskirts of the city while playing with a toy bomb.

Jamrud

Meanwhile, a high-intensity bomb planted near a government-run primary school for girls was defused on Sunday in Shakas, Khyber Agency.

Khandad Afridi, a khasadar official said a tribesman from Nasir Kallay reported he had spotted a bomb placed inside a canister early in the morning. The canister was placed near the rear wall of a school classroom.

Afridi further said five kilogrammes of explosives were used in the device. We were able to thwart the bombing attempt with the help of the tribesmen, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2013.