KHAR: A checkpost of the Levies Force was blown up in Ghakhai area of Salarzai tehsil in Bajaur tribal region late on Friday night.

Officials of the local administration and area residents told Dawn on Saturday that a group of armed men entered the premises of an under-construction checkpost of Levies and planted explosive devices there. The building was razed to the ground when the explosive devices went off.

However, no loss of life was reported as the building was vacant at the time of the blasts.

Soon after the blast Levies personnel and members of the local peace committee launched a search operation, but no arrest was reported.

“The administration is trying to trace the people responsible for the bombing of the checkpost and a search operation has been launched in the area for the purpose. Several suspects, including local residents, have been taken into custody during the crackdown,” a senior official of the administration told this correspondent.

Meanwhile, security personnel defused a bomb in Babara Charmang area of Nawagai tehsil on Saturday.

Officials of the local administration told reporters that troops accompanied by the volunteers of the peace committee had launched a search operation in the area after receiving information that a remote-controlled bomb had been placed on the main Charmang Babara road.

They said the bomb was defused but those planted it could not be captured as they had fled the area before the security personnel reached there.

Published in Dawn, Aug 3rd, 2014