A roadside bomb tore through an armoured personnel carrier (APC) of Badhaber police while it was on patrol on Frontier Road on Saturday.
According to Badhaber police, the official in charge of Aziz Market check post was on patrol in his APC when the explosion took place at 10:30am. The explosion damaged the vehicle, but fortunately the police party patrolling the area only suffered minor injuries.
“A home-made device was used to orchestrate the attack,” a local police official informed The Express Tribune. “It was planted in the middle of the road the night before and detonated through a remote control.”
According to the official, a nearby police post which was established on the premises of a flour mill came under attack by militants the night before Saturday’s attack. RPG-7 rockets and medium-machine guns were used to orchestrate the earlier attack. However, the militants were repelled by the police after an exchange of gunfire which lasted for half an hour.
Since Operation Khyber-1 was initiated in Khyber Agency on October 17, frequent clashes have taken place between security forces and militants.
Frontier Road represents the boundary line between Khyber Agency and Peshawar district. With the first phase of the military offensive, the area has been largely controlled by security forces.
Collateral damage
According to residents of Frontier Road, security forces have imposed strict conditions and have not allowed them to leave their houses. The main road has been cordoned off and traffic is diverted through alternative routes.
Only the displaced population who are travelling from different parts of Khyber Agency to Peshawar can access the route.
According to residents of Sheikhan, tens of thousands families have reached Peshawar using the Sheikhan route over the past week.
“The operation is predominantly against the Sipah clan. As Mangal Bagh belongs to the same sub-clan, people from the area have also been forced to flee,” a tribal elder told The Express Tribune.
He added that more people from Shalober and Akka Khel are also fleeing the agency. Several families from Akka Khel have been forced to move to Peshawar as houses are not available on rent in villages.
Khyber-1 was launched by security forces following the recent terror attacks in the province.
Muharram security
Most of the Walled City was sealed on the night of seventh Muharram as a security measure. Barriers were erected and barbed wires were placed along major roads in the city. All routes leading to Chowk Yadgar, Qissa Khwani and other areas have been closed off.
Around 6,000 policemen have been deployed inside the Walled City and Saddar. Clerics with previous records of inciting violence through their sermons have been put on schedule IV and are being closely monitored. Section 144 has been imposed by the deputy commissioner whereby wall-chalking and display of weapons has been banned in the city
Afghan refugees have been asked to remain inside their camps. Moreover, a large number of FC men, police officials in regular clothing along with police volunteers have been deployed alongside regular police who have established their control room in both the city and Saddar area separately.
Most of the city’s markets and hotels will remain closed for the last three days of Muharram.
Gunned down
In a separate incident, a policeman was shot dead in Matta tehsil of Swat on Saturday.
According to Matta police, special police force official in Durushkhela, Amir Zada, 26, was on his way home when unidentified assailants opened indiscriminate fire, killing him on the spot. The target killers managed to escape the scene.
Security forces and police reached the scene soon after the incident and began a search operation.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 2nd, 2014.
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