KEY POINTS
- Police said initial reports suggest the explosion was a suicide attack
- Police said initial investigations indicate that the suicide bomber was an Afghan national
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: At least seven people, including a police officer and a civilian, were killed and 18 others injured in a suicide bombing outside the main gate of Kabal police station in Swat district of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, Police said.
According to the police, the explosion occurred near the entrance to the police station. Initial investigations indicate that it was a suicide attack, and the Bomb Disposal Squad is continuing its examination to determine the exact nature of the blast.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police said the attack was carried out by terrorists belonging to “Fitna al-Khawarij”. Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist group, which is based in Afghanistan and involved in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police added that the blast partially damaged the main gate of the police station.
Police said the head of the suicide bomber had been recovered from the blast site. Initial investigations suggest that the suicide bomber was an Afghan national. Further forensic examination and investigation were under way.
The dead bodies and injured were shifted to Central Hospital Swat for treatment and medico-legal procedures, police said.
District Police Officer (DPO) Swat Umar Khan reached the scene along with a heavy contingent of police officers to supervise the response and secure the area.
Police said a search and clearance operation had been launched to trace and arrest facilitators who have assisted in carrying out the attack.
“The elements involved in the blast will be identified and brought to justice,” the DPO said, adding that the operation would continue until all those linked to the attack were apprehended.
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The Bomb Disposal Squad remained at the site collecting evidence and examining the scene as part of the ongoing investigation.
According to DPO Umar Khan, the suicide bomber detonated explosives after police personnel attempted to stop and search him at the entrance of the police station.
The DPO said that the police remained on high alert. “Security forces have cordoned off the area, and an investigation is underway to collect further evidence,” he added.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the blast, expressing sorrow at the loss of life. “Terrorists cannot demoralise the nation with cowardly attacks,” Kundi said in a statement.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, condemning the incident, sought a report from the KP Inspector General of Police (IGP) and offered condolences to the families of the deceased.
“The elements hostile to peace will never be allowed to succeed in their nefarious intentions,” the chief minister was quoted as saying.
