Devastating blow: Aman Lashkar member killed in roadside blast

PESHAWAR:

A volunteer of the Masho Khel Aman Lashkar was killed in a medium-intensity bomb blast in Masho Gagar Village on Friday morning.

Najeem Khan, an active supporter and member of the Aman Lashkar since 2008, was targeted in a roadside explosion which killed him on the spot.

He was making his way to his fields in the morning when he encountered stones and bushes on the road, impeding his way. What Najeem did not know was militants had blocked the road and planted a remote-control bomb nearby. When he stopped to remove the obstructions, the bomb was detonated and Najeem died instantly.

Officials of the bomb disposal squad confirmed the five kilogramme explosive device was detonated remotely.

An official of the Badhaber police station told The Express Tribune the victim was an important informant for both police and the local Aman Lashkar. Najeem was targeted for this reason, he claimed.

After the incident, police launched a large-scale search operation in the area and arrested several suspects.

According to Mukamal Shah, the general secretary of the Tappa Mohmand Aman Committee, militants have increased their activities in the area after the general elections.  “They have regrouped successfully. Their fatal attacks on police and military convoys and the target killing of polio workers is clear-cut evidence of this.” Police should launch a crackdown against militants and their supporters in the area, asserted Shah.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2013.