Suicide bombers attack paramilitary headquarters in northwest Pakistan, three personnel killed

• Three suicide bombers attacked Federal Constabulary force headquarters in northwestern Peshawar city, say police
• Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blames Pakistani Taliban militants for suicide attack that also injured 11 others

PESHAWAR: Suicide bombers attacked the headquarters of a Pakistani paramilitary force in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Monday morning, killing three personnel and wounding 11 others, police and health officials confirmed.

The suicide bombing targeted the Federal Constabulary (FC) headquarters in Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province bordering Afghanistan. The FC headquarters is located in the densely populated Saddar Bazaar in Peshawar’s Cantonment area, a business and trade hub of the city.

“A suicide bomber blew himself up on the main gate and two others tried to get inside the premises but were gunned down by FC personnel,” Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Dr. Mian Saeed told reporters outside the FC headquarters after the attack.

“Three FC personnel were killed and two others were injured.”

Saeed said law enforcers have cordoned off the area, adding that security across the city has been “heightened” after the attack.

Police, security forces personnel and rescue workers were busy clearing the road outside of the headquarters, which was littered with blood and pieces of human flesh. The blast was heard in far-off areas from the cantonment as people were busy going to work and dropping off children to schools.

“I just dropped my children at their school and was coming to my duty,” Bilal Ahmad, a paramedic at the Cantonment Hospital in Peshawar who saw the blast, told Arab News.

Ahmad said he heard a loud bang and saw smoke everywhere, followed by gunshots. One of his car’s windows broke due to the intensity of the explosion, wounding him with a light scar on the neck.

“I don’t know but when I got into my senses, I was standing there,” Ahmad said, pointing to a spot located at some distance.

Muhammad Asim, spokesperson of the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Peshawar’s largest health facility, confirmed 11 injured had been brought to the hospital.

“In total, 11 injured have been shifted to LRH, including the three injured FC personnels, one from the air force and the rest are civilians,” Asim told Arab News.

“Most of the injured are stable but we are assessing them and will shift them to the concerned units.”

In a statement issued by his office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident and directed authorities to ensure immediate treatment is provided to the injured. “We will crush the nefarious designs of terrorists who attack Pakistan’s sovereignty,” Sharif said, praising security forces for their timely action.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. However, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed the “khawarij,” a term the military frequently uses for the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, for carrying out the attack.

“The brave personnel of the Federal Constabulary courageously thwarted the attack by the Fitnah-ul-Khawarij,” Naqvi said in a statement issued by the interior ministry.

The development takes place amid a surge in militant attacks in KP province. Most of these attacks have been claimed by the TTP, which has launched some of the deadliest attacks against law enforcers since 2007 in a bid to impose its strict version of Islamic law across the country.

Pakistan alleges TTP fighters and commanders take refuge in sanctuaries across Afghanistan, a charge Kabul has denied repeatedly. This has led to strained ties between both countries, with border clashes last month killing dozens of people, including soldiers, on both sides.

Islamabad also accuses New Delhi of backing and sponsoring attacks by the TTP and separatist militant outfits in southwestern Balochistan, allegations that New Delhi denies.