Death toll in Khyber suicide bombing reaches four

KHYBER: Three cops wounded in the suicide bombing in the Bara Bazar area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's (KP) Khyber district succumbed to their injuries, pushing the death toll from the attack to four, police said on Thursday.

The suicide attack in the tehsil compound — which houses the Bara Police Station, government offices, and a cell of the counter-terrorism department (CTD) — also injured eight other policemen.

Initially, one cop was reportedly martyred in the attack with several others injured.

The latest attack on the law enforcers came when a terrorist blew himself up on being intercepted by the police while entering the compound.

KP Inspector General Akhtar Hayat confirmed the suicide attack was led by two terrorists who entered the compound from the main and rear gates. Both of the terrorists were killed in the attack.

Sharing updates on the matter, police said that a section of the CTD's cell caved in after the explosion. Rescue and search operation was underway while the bomb disposal squad and CTD teams were present at the crime scene.

Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 officials said that 10 injured policemen had been shifted to different hospitals for treatment.

Earlier, the Hayatabad Medical Complex administration said that a body and four injured — including three cops — were brought to the medical facility.

Some of the injured were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Dogra Khyber Agency as well.

Initially, the police said that smoke was seen rising from the site of the explosion. They said that heavy firing was also reported after the explosion.

The KP police suffered another attack last night when two cops were martyred, and two others were injured in a firing incident in the Regi area of Peshawar.

Police said that unidentified armed men opened fire on the cops at the entry checkpoint near Regi Model Town Police Station and fled. The injured cops were shifted to Khyber Teaching Hospital for treatment.

The martyred were identified as Head Constable Wajid and driver Farman.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks following Afghan Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 and called upon the interim rulers to take decisive actions against terrorists including the TTP responsible for cross-border attacks.

Terror activities in the country have soared by 79% during the first half of 2023, a statistical report released by the independent think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) showed.

Pakistani security forces have also stepped up their response against terrorism and killed at least 236 militants across the country while 295 suspected militants were also arrested during the first six months of 2023.