TTP claims responsibility for suicide attack in Peshawar
Shahidullah Shahid says the attack, that killed four people, was in response to Operation Zarb-e-Azb
PESHAWAR:
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have claimed responsibility for the attack that killed four people earlier during the day, vowing revenge against Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) for the ongoing military operation in the northwest.
Speaking to AFP by telephone, the group's spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid said: "We claim responsibility for the Peshawar attack on Tuesday. We have no loss from operation Zarb-e-Azb," referring to the military strikes.
"We are still as active as the past and will show the mirror to the PML-N as we showed the ANP (Awami National Party)."
Earlier on Tuesday morning, at least four people were killed and 18 others sustained injuries in a bomb attack on Frontier Corps (FC) convoy near Peshawar Press Club.
An ISPR official confirmed the death toll and said the injured were shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and Combined Military Hospital (CMH), two of whom are reportedly in critical condition.
Security forces cordoned off the entire area soon after the attack and barred people from entering the police line. They also fired excessively in the air for reasons not known, causing panic in the area.
ISPR said that initial investigation into the attack suggest that it was a suicide blast targeting the convoy of DIG FC Brigadier Khalid Javed - second-most senior officer in the FC force.
“He was injured but his condition is completely stable,” the official said. He added that one FC official, who was accompanying Brigadier Javed, and three civilians were killed in the attack.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack which took place near on Sher Shah Suri Road in the city.
CCPO Peshawar Ejaz Ahmed, while speaking to Express News, said the suicide bomber was in a Suzuki Alto car and detonated explosives as soon as he got close to the FC vehicle.
AIG Shafqat Malik told The Express Tribune that 45kg explosive were used in the explosion while the CCPO told the media that shells were also found in the car.
Investigators believe the car was coming from Kohat Road.
IG Malik, while speaking to the media, said police have found the chassis and engine numbers of the car and are close to reaching the owner of the vehicle.
He said the police are yet to confirm if the car was stolen or not.
Senior police official Najibur Rehman said the attack appeared to be in reaction to the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan.
In 2010, Frontier Constabulary (FC) Commandant Sifwat Ghayyur and three other people were killed and 11 injured in a brazen suicide attack in the very area.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have claimed responsibility for the attack that killed four people earlier during the day, vowing revenge against Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) for the ongoing military operation in the northwest.
Speaking to AFP by telephone, the group's spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid said: "We claim responsibility for the Peshawar attack on Tuesday. We have no loss from operation Zarb-e-Azb," referring to the military strikes.
"We are still as active as the past and will show the mirror to the PML-N as we showed the ANP (Awami National Party)."
Earlier on Tuesday morning, at least four people were killed and 18 others sustained injuries in a bomb attack on Frontier Corps (FC) convoy near Peshawar Press Club.
An ISPR official confirmed the death toll and said the injured were shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and Combined Military Hospital (CMH), two of whom are reportedly in critical condition.
Security forces cordoned off the entire area soon after the attack and barred people from entering the police line. They also fired excessively in the air for reasons not known, causing panic in the area.
ISPR said that initial investigation into the attack suggest that it was a suicide blast targeting the convoy of DIG FC Brigadier Khalid Javed - second-most senior officer in the FC force.
“He was injured but his condition is completely stable,” the official said. He added that one FC official, who was accompanying Brigadier Javed, and three civilians were killed in the attack.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack which took place near on Sher Shah Suri Road in the city.
Police officials stand beside a mangled rickshaw at the site of a suicide bomb attack in Peshawar on September 23, 2014. PHOTO: AFP
CCPO Peshawar Ejaz Ahmed, while speaking to Express News, said the suicide bomber was in a Suzuki Alto car and detonated explosives as soon as he got close to the FC vehicle.
AIG Shafqat Malik told The Express Tribune that 45kg explosive were used in the explosion while the CCPO told the media that shells were also found in the car.
Investigators believe the car was coming from Kohat Road.
A forensics official collects evidence at the site of a suicide bomb attack in Peshawar on September 23, 2014. PHOTO: AFP
IG Malik, while speaking to the media, said police have found the chassis and engine numbers of the car and are close to reaching the owner of the vehicle.
He said the police are yet to confirm if the car was stolen or not.
Senior police official Najibur Rehman said the attack appeared to be in reaction to the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan.
In 2010, Frontier Constabulary (FC) Commandant Sifwat Ghayyur and three other people were killed and 11 injured in a brazen suicide attack in the very area.