Hit and miss?: Two soldiers injured as rockets land in cantonment

Police claim Peshawar airport was the intended target.

PESHAWAR:

Two soldiers were injured when four rockets landed inside Peshawar Cantonment early Sunday morning. Police claim the intended target was Bacha Khan International Airport, but all four rockets hit adjacent areas, with one of them landing inside a brigade office, leaving two soldiers injured by shrapnel.

“There is evidence that all the rockets have been fired from the Ghundi refugee camp located in the jurisdiction of Tehkal police station,” a police official told The Express Tribune. “Previously the airport used to be targeted from Sarband, Pishtakhara and Suleman Khel areas, but this is a new development.”

The official said both soldiers were rushed to the Combined Military Hospital where their condition was said to be stable. “All four rockets landed inside army barracks and caused widespread panic among locals,” he added.

Bacha Khan International Airport has been frequently targeted in rocket attacks in the past seven years. Several times the runway has been hit as well, but the attacks have largely failed to create an impact as the 1980s-era Russian and Chinese MB-12 rockets that are used are considered obsolete.

Geotagging survey kicked off

A survey to collect complete demographic details, fingerprints and pictures of residents of Suleman Khel, Ahmad Khel, Bazid Khel, Garhi Mali Khel, Kaga Wala and Shahab Khel villages was kicked off on Sunday, within the jurisdiction of Badhaber police station.

A decision in this regard had earlier been taken at a high-level police meeting, presided over by IGP Nasir Khan Durrani. There it was decided a complete database of restive villages adjacent to Khyber Agency will be maintained after the PK-756 attack on June 24. A similar survey will also be conducted for all buildings situated in localities adjacent to the airport, especially those with double storeys.

The said survey will include geotagging of each building on Google Maps and collect details of all male members of the household above 14 years of age. The information will then be verified from electoral lists.

“Around 1,000 policemen have been deployed in the area and provided with digital cameras so they can take pictures of the residents,” said a policeman. “They have been tasked to finish the job on a priority basis.”

He added the first phase was successfully completed amid tight security arrangements, while the remainder of the area will be covered in the second phase.

Armed forces have already been deployed in the area along with the police to ward off any possible “PK-756 type attack” in the future, while intelligence agencies have been asked to keep a strict check on any suspicious elements.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2014.