Miranshah:
At least four civilians were martyred while 14 others, including two police officers, were injured during a bomb attack on a police patrol in a lively tribal district market in southern Waziristan in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday morning.
No group immediately claimed the responsibility of fatal bombings, but similar attacks in the past have been carried out by Pakistan of Tehreek-E-Taliban Prohibited (TTP), which, according to officials, operates since its shelters on the other side of Afghanistan.
The police vehicle suffered partial damage during the attack, the police said, adding that most of the victims were passers -by and merchants. The bomb died near the main taxi stands in the Wana bazaar during rush hour, triggering panic and chaos on the market.
Witnesses said the bomb had been launched for a few moments after the police vehicle stopped near the taxi station. The windows of several stores were broken by the impact of the explosion and scenes similar to jostles followed. The rescuers and the police rushed to the scene and made the victims of the district headquarters, where a state of emergency was declared.
Doctors in the hospital confirmed that four civilians had succumbed to their injuries, while two of the wounded were also in critical condition. Two police officers are among the wounded because they were on board the mobile who narrowly escaped a direct blow.
Wana DSP Shakirullah told L’Express PK Press Club that it was an improvised explosive device (IED) which was exploded from a distance. “The police vehicle has undergone minor damage, but unfortunately, the surrounding civilians have brought the weight of the explosion,” he added.
Shortly after the explosion, the police, as well as experts in the elimination of bombs, threw a safety cord in the region and began to collect medico-legal evidence of the crime scene. A manhunt was also launched in neighboring areas for terrorists involved in the attack.
All Wana Bazaar stores and businesses were closed and the area wore a deserted look in the middle of fear and palpable sorrow. The members of the local tribe expressed concern about the deterioration of the security situation in the border district where TTP terrorists have once influenced.
“We are experiencing a constant threat. The government has failed to protect us,” said a local merchant, echoing the feelings of many traders and residents.
The former tribal firmly condemned the bombing and asked for immediate and concrete measures to restore peace in the volatile district. “This is not the first incident of this type, and it will not be the last unless a serious change is made in the approach of security. People are seized with fear and turn to the state to protect themselves,” said Malik Nazar Khan, an eminent elder, to The Express PK Press Club.
The deputy commissioner of southern Waziristan Lower ordered an in -depth investigation into the incident and ordered the law enforcement agencies to translate the perpetrators in court as soon as possible.
The attacks targeting the security forces, the police and civilians have seen a sharp increase in various parts of the volatile district in recent months. Incidents of Dalms, ambushes and remote -controlled targeted murders have been frequently reported in areas such as Wana, Birmal, Shakai and Ladha.
Residents have warned that if appropriate measures are not taken, the situation can return to the violent era of 2008-2009 when the region was practically led by terrorist groups. The last explosion is a brutal reminder that peace remains elusive in the district.
