Blast on Peshawar's outskirts kills two

Published October 7, 2013
Police sources said goods related to an anti-polio campaign were being distributed at a small medical facility in Bazid Khel area when the explosion occurred. — File Photo
Police sources said goods related to an anti-polio campaign were being distributed at a small medical facility in Bazid Khel area when the explosion occurred. — File Photo

PESHAWAR: At least two people were killed and 13 others were injured in an explosion on Monday near a medical facility in Bazid Khel village of Budh Bher's Suleman Khel area on the outskirts of Peshawar.

SSP (operations) Najeebur Rehman had earlier quoted the death-toll as six but later revised the figure after receiving confirmation from hospital sources.

Rehman said two people had died, including one policemen and one member of a peace committee, and 13 others were injured in the explosion.

Ahmed Marwat, a spokesman for the Jundullah group, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Police sources said goods related to an anti-polio campaign were being distributed at a small health unit in Bazid Khel area when the explosion carried out by a remote-control occurred.

Security and rescue teams reached the site of incident. Security personnel cordoned off the area as a probe into the incident went underway.

The injured were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital for treatment.

Police sources added that another bomb was found in the vicinity of the first explosion and that the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was called in to defuse the explosive device.

BDS AIG Shafqat Malik said that five kilograms of explosive material was used in the explosive device that went off whereas eight kilograms were used in the second device which was defused by the BDS personnel.

Both the bombs were fitted with remote-controlled detonation equipment.

Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif condemned the explosion and paid tribute to those who had lost their lives in the line of duty.

The explosion took place a day after security sources said the proscribed militant organisation, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) planned huge attacks within the next 24 hours in the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The attacks were said to target law enforcement agencies.

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