MARDAN: Three people were killed, and five others, including two children, were injured in a bomb attack on the Jalala Bridge at Malakand-Mardan Road on Friday.

A local police spokesman, Farman Ali Khan, told Dawn that as per the pre­liminary investigation, it was a remote-controlled bomb planted on the bridge in Takhtbai tehsil of Mardan.

The Mardan police PRO said the explosive device went off when a police van and motorcycle rickshaw were crossing the bridge.

The three deceased were travelling in the rickshaw.

IED planted on roadside goes off as police van crosses the bridge; two constables among five hurt

The victims have been identified as Waseem, 40, a resident of Gujargari area of Mardan; Sher Aslam, 39 and Sami-ur-Rehman, 24, residents of Upper Dir district.

The injured included constables Bilal and Gulab; Noor Jehan, 44; Lubaba, 9; and Hashir Khan, 8.

The bodies and injured were shifted by Rescue 1122 to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Takhtbai and Mardan Medical Complex Hospital.

A heavy contingent of police arrived at the spot after the attack and cordoned off the area.

A search operation has been launched to track down the culprits while police have started an investigation after registering a case.

The attack came two days after five people, including former senator Hiday­at­ullah Khan, were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Sesai village of Mamund tehsil, Bajaur tribal district.

Mr Khan was on his way to attend a planned campaign event for his nephew when the IED targeted his vehicle, Deputy Superintendent of Police Bakht Munir stated.

Officials said the vehicle was destroyed in the blast in which 5kg to 7kg of explosives were used.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the police spokesman described it as an act of terrorism.

Khyber Pakhtun­khwa and Balochis­tan have witnessed a surge in militant attacks since the start of this year.

A report released by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) last month stated that the two provinces accounted for 87 per cent of the 240 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations reported during the second quarter of 2024.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2024