PESHAWAR, March 7: Seven security personnel and two passers-by were killed in a car bomb blast at Masho Mera village of Badbher, on the outskirts of Peshawar, on Saturday morning.

The explosion occurred about two kilometres west of the Indus Highway on Afridi Road, which leads to Bara Tehsil of the Khyber Agency.

Sources said the militants had adopted new tactics to attack security personnel.

Police officials at the scene told Dawn that an unknown caller told them that he had seen a body in a car on Afridi Road. Police dispatched a van to the scene and cordoned off the area. As soon as they started removing the body from the white car, it exploded.

Two villagers, Fazal Haq and Jehangir, said they had seen the body of an elderly man on the left front seat of the car, but “we did not have the courage to inform police as they usually use strong-arm tactics against eyewitnesses”.

The dead policemen were identified as Sub-Inspector Mohammad Afzal Khan, resident of Kaneza Mathra; Assistant Sub-Inspector Faqir Shah of Akbarura Nowshera, constables Abdul Ghafoor of Batgram Shabqadar and Khan Bahadur of Skhakot, Frontier Constabulary personnel Gul Raees Khan of Peshtakhara and Abdur Rauf of Lakki Marwat.

Police said a passenger on a pick-up passing through the place at the time of the explosion died from shrapnel injuries. He was identified as Nadeem Mastan Sher of Mashogagar. Another passer-by may have died of shock after having seen the security personnel’s dismembered bodies, police said.

HIT LIST: Officials of a secret agency told Dawn that two of the policemen were on the hit list of a Bara-based militant group as they had taken part in an encounter at Bazidkhel village in which nine alleged kidnappers were gunned down. The encounter took place on Feb 4.

A spokesman for the Bomb Disposal Squad said 30 kilograms of explosives were used in the blast. The police van was badly damaged in the explosion.

According to the Badbher police station, the tip-off about the body in the car was given to Saifullah, who was driving a van which was part of a patrol party.

Another official said a message about the entry of a suicide car bomber was radioed early in the morning and police patrolled different roads in search of the suspected vehicle.

Namaz-i-Janaza for the policemen was offered at Peshawar’s Malik Saad Khan Lines.

The explosion caused suspension of power supply as it threw an 11,000 KV out of action. Sulimankhel, Mashogagar, Balarzai, Badbher and a number of other villages were the sufferers.

A spokesman for Peshawar Electric Company (Pesco) said power supply was restored to the area before sunset.
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