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At least 20 people including 18 troops died and 35 others were injured in a blast aimed at a vehicle carrying Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel in the troubled Swat district on Thursday, police said. The blast took place at Nawan Killi, about a kilometre from Swat city, Mingora, at around 2:45 pm. It set off an explosion of ammunition carried inside the military truck, triggering bullet fire.
| A senior official told Daily Times on condition of anonymity that it was probably a suicide attack, in which the bomber rammed his car into the truck carrying around 45 security personnel. |
A senior official told Daily Times on condition of anonymity that it was probably a suicide attack, in which the bomber rammed his car into the truck carrying around 45 security personnel. At least 20 people including 18 security personnel died in the attack and 35 others sustained injuries, nine of them civilians, he said.
NWFP Home Minister Shazada Gustasap said it was not clear whether it was a suicide attack. Investigations are underway and will find those behind the attack on the military convoy, he said. He said the government was trying to avoid a military operation in the district, but would launch one if necessary.
30 killed: Swat Nazim Fazlur Rehman told AFP that 30 people had died in the blast. An injured FC soldier, Naeem Khan, told Daily Times that he could not say whether it was a suicide attack or a planted bomb. The nature of the blast is not clear and it is being ascertained. There was ammunition in the truck which caused the damage, Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Cheema told AFP.
Fazlullah not involved: A close aide of Maulana Fazlullah, a powerful rebel cleric who advocates jihad and Taliban-style rule in the region, told Daily Times by phone that the clerics supporters were not behind the blast. We have nothing to do with the blast and our talks with the chief minister are continuing. The blast is the planning of those who want to destroy the law and order situation in Swat, said Maulana Shah Dauran.
The blast also damaged 25 shops, a service station, a CNG station and a petrol pump. Nearly 20 injured people were rushed to the Saidu Teaching Hospital and three seriously troops were airlifted to Peshawar or Islamabad. All markets and bazaars were closed after the blast and police sealed the exit and entry points of the city. The army announced on Wednesday that it was sending in 2,500 additional troops to Swat to maintain law and order. Fazlullah warned in a speech the same day that his supporters would retaliate if security forces attacked them. |
Unidentified militants kidnapped a havaldar and six Frontier Constabulary soldiers in Hangu district late Tuesday night, police said on Wednesday. Tall Police Station Duty Officer Wajib Alam said the men were kidnapped from the Spin Tall checkpost, from an area bordering the Orakzai tribal region. They were probably taken to North Waziristan, he added. The paramilitary soldiers offered no resistance and the attackers also took away their weapons and ammunition, a Hangu city security official told Daily Times. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident yet. 