Pakistan: Explosion kills assistant commissioner, 4 others in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur

An explosion in Pakistan’s Bajau District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday (Jul 3) has killed five people, including Assistant Commissioner Naogai. Eleven people were injured in the incident. The roadside bomb targeted a vehicle carrying Assistant Commissioner Faisal Sultan and his security team, according to district police chief Waqas Rafique, reports AP. Several of the wounded are in critical condition.

Rafique told Dawn that two policemen and a civilian were among those killed in the attack on the Nawagai Road in the Siddiqabad railway attack area of Khar tehsil. “The blast was so intense that the vehicle targeted was completely destroyed,” he said. He added that those injured in the blast were immediately transported to Khar District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital for treatment.

The security in the area has been increased, and relief activities were underway, he said. Those killed include Nawagai Assistant Commissioner Faisal Ismail, Tehsildar Abdul Wakil, Subedar Noor Hakim, and police constable Rashid.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing. However, Pakistani authorities suspect the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was behind the attack. The group has been behind other similar attacks in the region. Despite military operations in the area against insurgent groups, the Bajaur region has frequent incidents of militant violence.

Last Saturday, a suicide bombing attack in the North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa killed 16 soldiers when a militant rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a military convoy.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's government spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif said that the loss of lives was regrettable, condemning the attack.

“The KP chief minister has issued orders for an enquiry into the incident and to provide medical facilities to the injured,” he said. “Those who are hostile elements to the country will not be allowed to succeed in their nefarious purposes and will be brought to justice.”