PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Pakistani police revealed on Tuesday that the terrorists involved in Monday’s suicide attack on the Federal Constabulary (FC) Headquarters in Peshawar city were Afghan nationals, as investigators work to identify the network that facilitated the assault, which killed three personnel and wounded 12.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said evidence gathered so far, including CCTV footage and the absence of citizenship records, indicated the attackers were Afghan citizens.
The provincial police chief said the three terrorists spent the night in a nearby location before the attack, and their motorcycle and fingerprints had been taken into custody for forensic analysis.
Authorities are tracing the route the attackers used to enter the city, while Nadra is working to verify their identities, the provincial police chief said.
Investigators and intelligence agencies are hunting for facilitators and support networks behind the attack.
Attack on FC Headquarters in Peshawar
The attack, which began after a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance, was swiftly repulsed as Pakistan’s security forces engaged and shot his two accomplices dead before they could enter the installation to inflict any major damage.
Questioned about the progress of the investigation and whether any evidence had come to the fore about the attackers being Afghan citizens, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief said: “We are saying this because, based on the evidence so far, when someone does not have a citizenship record, they are assumed to be Afghan or something similar.”
He confirmed that authorities had identified the location where the terrorists spent the night before attacking the FC Headquarters. However, he added that no facilitators had been arrested so far.
IG Hameed added that the CCTV footage showing their arrival was obtained and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) was working to verify their identities.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief elaborated that the authorities were also determining the route the terrorists used to enter Peshawar.
He further said that the terrorists’ motorcycle was seized and fingerprints taken from the vehicle were now part of the ongoing forensic investigation.
IG Hameed highlighted that recent measures taken by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police had significantly reduced terrorist incidents, and the provincial police force was being equipped with weapons, modern technology, including anti-drone systems, and bulletproof jackets and vehicles for officials and police stations.
He praised the bravery of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, noting that despite operating in a stressful environment, the force continued to make sacrifices for peace in the region.
On Monday, three Federal Constabulary (FC) personnel were martyred in a suicide attack on the force’s headquarters in Peshawar.
The attack occurred on one of the city’s busiest roads just after 8:00am. Video footage of the incident showed one terrorist, clad in a chadar, approaching the gate and detonating himself. Seconds later, two other terrorists tried to enter the compound.
Surge in terrorist attacks
“Initially, three terrorists tried to attack the headquarters. One terrorist blew himself up at the gate, while two others tried to enter the premises but were gunned down by FC personnel,” Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Dr Mian Saeed Ahmad said while speaking to reporters.
The attack was the second major terrorist attack on a security installation in Peshawar in the last three years. In February 2023, 84 people were killed in a suicide attack on a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines.
Pakistan has been witnessing a surge in terror activities, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The spike in terror incidents followed the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ending a ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and vowing to attack security forces, police, and personnel of law enforcement agencies.
Monday’s attack comes less than three months after a similar one in September, during which six soldiers were martyred and five terrorists were killed as security forces thwarted an attack on the FC Headquarters in Bannu.
According to the military, the attack was carried out by “Indian proxy Fitna-al-Khawarij”.
