LANDI KOTAL: A suicide bomber blew himself up near the main gate of the offices of the political administration building in Jamrud (Khyber Agency) on Tuesday morning. Four people, including two khasadars, were killed and 56 others injured.

Jamrud Assistant Political Agent Fahad Wazir told Dawn that the bomber tried to enter the offices of the political administration and attack the main building inside a fortified compound. Because of adequate security he failed to enter the premises and blew himself up in front of the khasadars’ vehicle at the main gate.

The vehicle was carrying khasadar personnel deployed for polio vaccination duty. Most of the injured are civilians, including women and children.

Mr Wazir said it was 8.30am and he and other administrative officials were yet to reach their offices when the blast took place.

Gohar Khan, who happened to be in the area, told Dawn that he had been waiting outside a National Bank branch to collect his pension when the huge blast shook the area. Smoke and dust engulfed the entire locality.

“I was hit by a shrapnel. I am lucky that it slightly injured my shoulder,” he said, adding that he later saw the legs and other limbs of the suicide bomber on the ground near the main gate.

The injured, especially women and children, with multiple injuries were crying in pain waiting for help.

Security forces cordoned off the area, closed the Jamrud bazaar and suspended traffic on the Peshawar-Torkham road.

Rescue teams took the bodies of the deceased and the injured to the Jamrud Civil Hospital adjacent to the offices of the political administration.

Doctors at the hospital said they had received the bodies of four people identified as Mohammad Imran, Zil Akbar, Rahat Shah and Nadir Khan.

Thirteen khasadars, including line officer Tehsinullah, are among the injured.

Bomb disposal personnel later defused another explosive device found at the place. It appeared to have been planted to target rescue workers and security personnel.

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. Its spokesman Mohammad Khurasani said in an email statement that a group of suicide bombers had been sent to kill the assistant political agent and other government and security officials who were working on the Nation Action Plan.

Another outlawed outfit, Lashkar-i-Islam, made a similar claim, with its spokesman Salahuddin Ayubi saying that the suicide attack had been carried out by “their men”.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2015

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