MIANWALI, Feb 11: Some terrorists attacked two different patrol police checkposts in Mianwali and blew up a newly-constructed checkpost in Kundal with explosives, 110km from here. There were no casualties in either attack.

Talking to Dawn, Amir Abbas Khemta, DSP of Police Patrol in Mianwali, said Punjab’s Highway Patrol Police had constructed a checkpost in Kundal on the Chahsma-Isakhel Road, on the border of this district. “But it was not handed over to us to depute staff there.”

The terrorists blew up the vacant checkposts on Tuesday midnight and then attacked the Dara Tang checkpost at about 1.30am from the top of surrounding hills, but escaped when security forces returned fire.

The Dara Tang checkpost is situated 120 kilometres from here on the Mianwali-Bannu road, near the border with the Frontier province.

It was the fourth attack on the Mianwali checkpost since Saturday.

In the first attack six days ago, terrorists had attacked the checkpost in Dara Tang with mortar shells, partially damaging its building. Three days later, they blew up the checkpost in Qudratabad, on the Mianwali-Lahore road, killing eight security personnel.

On Tuesday night, they attacked two checkposts – in Kundal and in Dara Tang. The two checkposts are considered to be most sensitive because hey sit beside a road used by vehicles of the Chasma nuclear project.

The route is also used by drug smugglers to cross the Indus river. Keeping in view the importance of this area, police have set up a checkpost to deter criminal gangs.

Repeated attacks on checkposts have touched off fear and anxiety among local people who consider these attacks to be an extension of the Taliban war from neighbouring Dara Adam Khel into the Punjab district. A wave fear and panic has gripped the area and the people of the area are talking of keeping their arms and ammunition ready to fight terrorists.