Security provisions: Curfew in Bannu Cantt lifted at noon

Bomb attached to motorcycle goes off, no loss reported.

BANNU: A curfew was imposed in Bannu Cantonment from Monday morning till afternoon, while a bomb exploded in Boza Khel but no loss occurred.

Officials of the district administration sealed off Bannu Cantonment and imposed a curfew on Bannu-Miranshah Road due to possible movement of security forces’ convoys to North Waziristan Agency.

All educational institutes were closed and business activities were halted in the area, while security was tightened in the Cantonment, with no one allowed to enter or leave the area till 12pm.

Meanwhile, a bomb attached to a motorbike exploded in Boza Khel in the afternoon. Fortunately, no loss was reported.

According to police official Imran Islam, unidentified militants had parked a motorcycle along Bannu-Kohat Road and detonated the explosive device using a remote when a government-owned vehicle was passing.

Following the blast, Islam along with the bomb disposal squad (BDS) rushed to the site and cordoned it off. “We found another bomb which had been planted inside the motorbike and a BDS official defused it,” said Islam.

He added one kilogramme of explosive was used in the second bomb. “A search operation was launched after the incident in which 11 suspects were arrested.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2014.