News Desk
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A female suicide bomber struck outside a hospital in Dera Ismail Khan on Sunday as wounded were being brought in from an earlier shooting incident targeting police. The complex assault, claimed by the proscribed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), left a total of 10 people martyred and wounded at least another 30.
Salim Riaz Khan, a senior police officer in Dera Ismail Khan, said four unidentified gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on police in a residential area in the morning, killing two. Both the policemen, identified as Jahangir and Inam, sustained critical injuries and lost their lives on the way to hospital.
He said the bomber then struck at the entrance to the hospital, killing another four police and three civilians who were visiting their relatives. He added eight police personnel were among the wounded, and that many of the wounded were in critical condition. A critically wounded person succumbed to his injuries later.
Inayat Ullah, a local forensics expert, said the female attacker set off seven kilograms of explosives packed with nails and ball-bearings. The blast damaged the emergency room and forced it to shut down, according to a hospital official, who said the wounded were taken to a military hospital.
The TTP claimed the attack but did not acknowledge that the bomber was a woman. The group has launched scores of attacks going back nearly two decades, but almost all of them were carried out by men.
President Arif Alvi strongly condemned the attack. He prayed for the high ranks of the martyrs and the bereaved families to bear the loss with fortitude, a press release said. He also prayed for the early recovery of the injured. The president said the whole nation was resolute and united in the fight against terrorism.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was in Washington on Sunday, also strongly condemned the attack. The Prime Minister prayed for the eternal peace of departed souls and bereaved families to bear the loss with equanimity, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a press release. He also directed for the provision of best medical treatment to the injured and also prayed for their early recovery.
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