Close call: Powerful bomb defused outside a house in Jamrud

Another house in the area was attacked with rockets and its boundary wall destroyed.

JAMRUD: A high-intensity bomb planted outside the house of a retired Customs official by unidentified militants was defused by the bomb disposal unit (BDU) in Jamrud, Khyber Agency on Sunday.

An official of the political administration said in the early hours of the morning, Sharifullah, a retired customs official, reported to the authorities that unidentified militants have planted a bomb outside his house after which BDU officials rushed to his house, cleared the area and defused the bomb in less than an hour.

According to BDU officials, 30 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the bomb which was powerful enough to destroy the entire building as well as damage surrounding areas within 50 metres.

A case was filed against unidentified militants and further investigation is under way.

Meanwhile, in the early hours of Saturday, the boundary wall of a house in Bakarabad area of Jamrud was damaged when unidentified militants attacked it with a rocket.

Jamrud Political Tehsildar Ali Sher Khalil said Ghani Gul Abdalkhel, the house owner, told officials he was at home at around 1am when the attack took place. Abdalkhel said unidentified militants attacked his home with rockets, destroying a portion of the boundary wall, and then escaped, adding no one was hurt in the attack.

While speaking to journalists, Abdalkhel said the main gate of his house was destroyed two months ago in a separate bomb blast. He lamented that he had not received any support from the political administration even though his life was at risk. The house owner said he had requested for their help but officials had not responded in any way.

A political administration official said they had registered a case and started investigation.

The official added around 50 houses in the area have been targeted in the last three months.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2014.