Initial investigations suggest the vehicle was specifically targeted using explosive material
A powerful explosion in Wana Bazaar, the main town and headquarters of Lower South Waziristan, killed three people, including Ahmadzai Wazir tribe chief Malik Tariq Khan, while two others sustained serious injuries. PHOTO: EXPRESS
MIRANSHAH:
A powerful explosion in Wana Bazaar, the main commercial hub and headquarters of Lower South Waziristan, killed at least three people, including Ahmadzai Wazir tribal chief Malik Tariq Khan, and critically injured two others on Monday, police said.
The blast took place near the gate of Khanzada market while Khan’s vehicle was passing through the area, District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Tahir Shah Wazir confirmed. The blast resulted in the targeted vehicle being severely damaged, while windows of nearby shops and buildings were shattered.
Initial investigations indicated that the vehicle was specifically targeted using explosive material. Preliminary evidence suggests the attack may have been carried out with a remote-controlled device.
Police identified the other two dead as Malik Sarfaraz Khan Yar Gul Khel and Yar Gul Khail Jan. The two injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Wana where hospital sources described their condition as critical.
After the incident, police, security forces and bomb disposal squad reached the spot and cordoned off the area. Security agencies also launched a search operation in and around Wana Bazaar while checkpoints at entry and exit routes were tightened.
Police officials said investigations into the nature of the blast and the explosive material used were ongoing, and authorities were looking into several aspects of the incident. Tribal elders along with local political and social figures strongly condemned the attack and demanded immediate arrest and severe punishment of those responsible.
Last week, at least nine people, including two traffic police officials, were martyred and 33 others sustained injuries in a powerful blast that tore through a busy market area in Lakki Marwat district.
Read more: Death toll after attack by Bannu police rises to 15
Fifteen policemen were killed in a brazen attack on a Bannu police checkpoint when a banned outfit, Ittehad Mujahideen Pakistan, belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij, claimed responsibility on 10 May.
On the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, terrorists rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the Fateh Khel police check post in Bannu, triggering a massive explosion that completely reduced the structure to rubble.
Bannu Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan said a total of 18 policemen were present at the checkpoint at the time of the attack. “Of them, 15 embraced martyrdom on the spot while three sustained serious injuries,” he said. The explosion also caused extensive damage to nearby residential buildings and structures.
