FC major, sepoy martyred in Peshawar suicide attack

PESHAWAR: A major and a sepoy of the Frontier Corps were martyred while three soldiers and six civilians were wounded when a suicide bomber rammed his motorcycle into a vehicle of the paramilitary force in Hayatabad here Monday.

The vehicle was on way from the FC Camp in Hayatabad town to the headquarters of the force in Balahisar Fort in the city when the suicide bomber carried out the attack. The military vehicle was destroyed in the attack.

Major Jamal Sheran and Sepoy Zahir Shah were martyred and three soldiers and six civilians were wounded in the attack that took place near the Bagh-e-Naran in Hayatabad. There were unconfirmed reports that another critically wounded person also expired at the hospital later.

“It was a suicide attack carried out by a motorcyclist. Around 10 to 12 kilograms of explosives were used in the attack,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Sajjad Khan told The News.

Senior police and army officials arrived at the site of the attack immediately after the explosion. The scene of the attack, which is usually a busy place, was cordoned off for collecting evidence from the spot.

The ambulances of the Rescue 1122 and other organisations arrived at the spot after the explosion to do rescue work and take the victims to hospitals. The funeral prayers for the martyred soldiers were offered at the Peshawar Garrison.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Nazir Ahmad Butt and other senior civil and military officers attended the funeral.

The body of the martyred Major Jamal Sheran was taken for burial to his ancestral village in Kech district near Turbat in Balochistan. Meanwhile, At least 10 militants were killed and three others sustained injuries when jetfighters targeted their hideouts during the ongoing Operation Khyber-4 in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency, official sources said.

The sources claimed the Pakistan Air Force jetfighters destroyed several hideouts of the Islamic State (IS) and Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) in the Rajgaal Valley. The Pakistan Army launched Operation Khyber-4 in Rajgal on Monday.