Insurgency: Gandao dam attacked, IED blast kills three

Two dam officials taken hostage, six injured in the assault.

GHALANAI:

Militants launched an attack on the Gandao Dam in Mohmand agency around midnight between Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to Jamshed Khan, assistant political agent of the upper sub-division Ghalanai, more than a dozen militants attacked the dam around 12am on Wednesday, and took all the workers as hostages. They set fire to the heavy machinery and vehicles.

However, the ensuing blaze caught the attention of security officials on check posts near the mountains and they fired in the air and the insurgents withdrew. No loss of life was reported. Two officials were taken as hostages but the rest of the workers were set free.

The following morning at around 8am, when the dam officials, including the site contractor and the site engineer, were visiting the place of the attack, a planted IED exploded when their vehicle moved over it.

The blast killed site contractor Shakoor Khan, engineer Ghani Khan and driver Itbar Gul on the spot. Six other were injured in the blast and were taken to the agency headquarter hospital.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Mohmand chapter chief Umar Khurasani is reported to have claimed responsibility for the attack.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2013.