3 security personnel killed in suicide attack at paramilitary force HQ in Pakistan’s Peshawar
Peshawar (PTI): At least three security personnel were killed and two others injured in a suicide attack at a paramilitary force headquarters on Monday in Pakistan’s Peshawar, according to a senior police official.
Three suicide bombers, who attempted to storm the Federal Constabulary (FC) headquarters, were also killed in counterfiring, City Police Chief Mian Saeed said.
“One attacker detonated himself at the main gate, while the other two entered the premises. FC personnel engaged them and both were killed on the spot,” Saeed added.
"Two suicide explosions took place inside the FC headquarters, one at the main gate and the other near the motorcycle stand located within the premises," Inspector General of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Zulfiqar Hameed said.
The powerful blast at the main gate triggered panic in the surrounding residential and commercial areas, with the explosion heard from a considerable distance.
Additional contingents and rescue teams rushed to the site, and security across the area was placed on high alert, officials said.
According to hospital officials, five people, including three civilians, were injured in the attack.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has strongly condemned the terrorist attack while reiterating that the provincial government "stands firmly" with the police and all law enforcement agencies.
The civilian paramilitary force, originally called the Frontier Constabulary, was renamed by the government as Federal Constabulary in July. The headquarters of the force is located in a crowded area, close to a military cantonment, Dawn reported.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Pak, Afghan forces trade fire along Chaman border: Report
Islamabad (PTI): A heavy exchange of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces was reported from the key Chaman border, according to a media report on Saturday.
Injuries were reported from the district hospital, but no fatalities occurred, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Officials from both sides accused each other of instigating the flare-up late on Friday night across the border in the Balochistan province.
While Pakistani officials said that Afghan forces had fired mortar shells on the Badani area, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed it was Pakistan that launched an attack on Spin Boldak, alleging that their forces were responding.
Pakistan's official sources told Dawn that Pakistani forces retaliated against the Afghan aggression and returned fire.
There were also reports of fighting on the Chaman-Kandahar highway, but these could not be immediately verified.
A senior official in Quetta confirmed on condition of anonymity that the exchange of fire started around 10 pm and continued until late at night.
The medical superintendent of Chaman district hospital said that three injured, including a woman, were brought to the medical facility.
There was neither any official word from the Inter-Services Public Relations -- Pakistan Army's media wing -- nor from the Foreign Office.
The Chaman border crossing, also known as Friendship Gate, connects Balochistan province to Afghanistan’s Kandahar.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated amidst regular allegations by Pakistan regarding the failure of the Afghan regime to deny safe havens to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists.
The two countries had agreed on a ceasefire following tensions last month, but the Foreign Office said last month that technically there was no truce as it was contingent on the Afghan Taliban stopping terrorist attacks in Pakistan, which they had failed to do.
