Two police personnel martyred in Bajaur bomb blast

BAJAUR/QUETTA, Nov 13 (SABAH):  Two police officers were martyred in a bomb blast on Saturday morning in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, confirmed by the local police. 

Bajaur’s DPO Abdul Samad Khan said the bomb blast took place near Raghagan Dam, confirming that it had taken the lives of the police officers. 

Abdul Samad Khan revealed the bomb blast had been conducted via remote control device, adding that law enforcement agencies had cordoned off the area and were carrying out a search operation to look for suspicious activity. 

Samad Khan told media that the police officers were deployed near Raghagan Dam when the IED got set off at around 10:30 AM.

The DPO said that one of the martyred was a sepoy while the other was a havaldar. The bodies were transferred to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital while the police had started a search operation in the area and set up an additional check post.

Meanwhile at least seven people, including a police official, were injured in a blast in Quetta’s Nawa Killi area on Saturday, Civil Hospital spokesperson Waseem Baig said. The injured also included women, the spokesperson added.

Security forces and rescue officials rushed to the area following the explosion. The injured were transferred to Civil Hospital Quetta and the area was cordoned off, police officials said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Asad Nasir said the explosion occurred near a police mobile. He added that three to four kilograms of explosive material, fitted to a motorcycle, was used in the blast, according to initial reports. The bomb was detonated via remote control, the SSP further said.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo condemned the attack and directed that the best medical treatment be provided to those injured.

“Subversive elements want to destroy the province’s peace. The protection of citizen’s lives and properties is our foremost priority,” he said in a statement. “We will end the chaos of terrorism with the cooperation of the people,” he emphasised.