Pakistan: Suicide attack kills two policemen in northwest

A pair of suicide bombers attacked a compound housing a police station along with government offices. The attack killed at least two police officers and wounded 15 other people. The attack took place in the Bara neighbourhood in northwest Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.

According to rescuers, part of the compound collapsed after the bombing and buried a police officer whose body was later retrieved. One of the suicide bombers was wearing an explosive vest which detonated when police opened fire as they came under attack. Gunshots were heard after the bombing, said Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the provincia emergency service as quoted by the Associated Press (AP). An extension of gunfire followed.

Those wounded include police officers and civilians. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack. Sharif praised the police officers in a statement and said they "thwarted the evil intentions of the terrorists by stopping the suspects and risking their lives."

The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack came just hours after Pakistani Taliban shot and killed two police officers and wounded two others. This was an overnight attack at a roadside checkpoint in the city of Peshawar.

The gun attack took place in the Regi Model Town neighbourhood, said area police chief Arshad Khan as per AP. The attackers fled the scene in the darkness. A search operation has been launched to find the attackers.

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack in Peshawar. They released a statement.

Before these two attacks, a suicide car bomber wounded six soldiers and two civilians. The attackers targetted a truck carrying security forces.

The Pakistan Taliban is a separate group but is allied to the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan Taliban got a morale boost after Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. The US-led international coalition who was in Afghanistan for two decades left the country soon before that.

The Pakistan Taliban has been pushing for the implementation of stricter Islamic laws in Pakistan. They are also demanding release of their members from government custod an also reduced military presence in Pakistan's tribal areas.

Pakistan's military last week warned the Afghan Taliban of an “effective response” by government forces if they fail to stop harbouring militants who plot cross-border attacks from Afghanistan. The army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, issued a stern warning last Friday after two militant attacks killed 12 Pakistani soldiers in the country’s southwestern Baluchistan province, which also borders Afghanistan.

(With inputs from agencies)

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