String of attacks: Five including two FC officials killed in separate assaults

Pro-government tribal elder’s petrol pump targeted by unidentified militants.

KHAR: Five people including two Frontier Corps (FC) officials were killed and six others were injured in three separate incidents of terrorism in Mamond tehsil of Bajaur Agency on Thursday.

Two FC personnel were killed and three others were injured when their vehicle was attacked by unidentified gunmen in Amanata area of the tehsil, said political administration official Abdul Haseeb.

Haseeb said the incident occurred at around 1am, while the FC officials were on routine patrol. Two FC officials identified as Sartaj Khan and Shah Saeed died on the spot while Shafiq Khan, Ikram Khan and Jan Faqir were severely injured. The injured were taken to Agency Headquarters (AHQ) Hospital, Khar and later referred to Combined Military Hospital in Bajaur.



A search operation was launched by Bajaur levies and khasadars, but no arrests were made till the filing of this report.

Meanwhile, three tribesmen were killed and two others injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted at a roadside by unidentified militants exploded near a passenger van early morning.

“The vehicle was coming from Badan area at around 5am when the IED exploded, killing three tribesmen on the spot and destroying the vehicle,” said Haseeb.

The deceased were identified as Syed Faqeer, Muhammad Jan and Qadir Khan. Their bodies were shifted to AHQ hospital and a search operation was launched. In yet another incident, unidentified militants detonated a bomb near a petrol station, injuring one person. Haseeb said the bomb was planted along the boundary wall of the station in Umray area. A watchman, Gul Akbar, was injured as a result and shifted to a hospital. The political administration official added the owner of the pump is pro-government tribal elder Malik Aziz, who has received multiple threats from militants and has been targeted twice in the past.

Immediately after the incident, 18 suspects were arrested while all the entry and exit routes of the tehsil were blocked and security tightened.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2013.