Two policemen were killed in a suicide blast near a checkpost in Pakistan’s Bhakkar district on Tuesday evening, officials said. Bhakkar District Police Officer Shahzad Rafiq said that the attacker detonated himself near the Dajil checkpost.
A video circulating widely on social media captured the attacker, draped in a black shawl, walking towards the checkpost moments before detonating the blast.
Two policemen were killed and one officer was injured, while three passersby also sustained injuries, Dawn quoted the official as saying.
“The suicide attacker came near the checkpost and blew himself up while we were conducting a search operation in the area to maintain law and order,” Rafiq said.
The deceased officers were identified as Muhammad Faheem and Muhammad Shehbaz. The injured policeman was identified as Arshad. The identities of the injured civilians were not immediately known, the report added.
All injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, the DPO added.
Militants attack a police patrol
In Kohat city in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, militants attacked a police patrol, killing five officers and setting their vehicle on fire, a police spokesperson said, according to a Reuters report.
Two civilians later succumbed to their injuries.
The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for both attacks.
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President and PM condemn the attack
In separate statements, President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, expressing grief over the deaths and offering condolences to the bereaved families. He also prayed for the swift recovery of those injured, Dawn reported.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the killings, saying the sacrifices of police personnel in the fight against terrorism would not go in vain and reaffirming the government’s resolve to eliminate terrorism, Radio Pakistan reported.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also condemned the blast, paying tribute to the slain officers and directing authorities to ensure the best possible medical treatment for the injured.
The incident occurred on the same day that six law enforcement personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed in a separate attack on a police vehicle in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district.
The Dajil checkpost is located along the border of Dera Ismail Khan and Bhakkar.
What is happening?
Pakistan carried out air strikes in Afghanistan on Saturday, saying they targeted militants it blamed for a recent wave of suicide bombings on Pakistani soil.
Islamabad has maintained that militant groups are being given sanctuary in Afghanistan, from where they plan and launch cross-border attacks.
Afghanistan has denied the allegation, calling militancy Pakistan’s internal issue.
Kabul and the United Nations said the strikes killed at least 13 civilians.
