Three children killed, as many hurt in Bajaur Waziristan, landmine blasts

MIRANSHAH/KHAR: Three children were killed and as many sustained injuries in two separate landmine explosions in North Waziristan and Bajaur tribal districts on Thursday.

According to police in North Waziristan, four children, whose ages were from 5 to 15 years, were grazing their goats in a field located near Khajori Post in Mir Ali tehsil. They said that the children had apparently stepped over the landmine planted in the field, which went off with a big bang.

As a result, three children were killed on the spot while one sustained injuries. Soon after the incident, the local residents rushed to the spot and shifted the bodies and injured to the hospital in Mir Ali.

The dead and injured belonged to the same family residing in the Zikarkhel area in Khajori in Mir Lai tehsil. In Bajaur, two children sustained injuries when a landmine planted in Gat Agra area in Loy Mamond tehsil in Bajaur tribal district exploded.

The children identified as Ikram Khan and Fitrani, the residents of Gat Agra, were grazing their cattle when they stepped over the landmine planted by unidentified miscreants in the mountainous area. As a result, the landmine exploded and injured the two grazers.

The injured children were shifted to Larkholozu for medical treatment. The police said that they launched a search operation in the area to apprehend the perpetrators.