Haqnawaz shinwari
PESHAWAR
At least three security personnel were killed and two others injured early on Monday morning in a suicide attack on the headquarters of the paramilitary Federal Constabulary (FC) in the provincial capital Peshawar.
Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mian Saeed told reporters that three suicide bombers attempted to storm the FC compound.
One attacker detonated his explosives at the main gate, while the remaining two entered the premises but were shot dead by FC personnel during an exchange of fire, he said.
“Two suicide blasts occurred inside the FC headquarters, one at the main gate and another near the motorcycle stand inside the compound,” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said.
The powerful explosion at the entrance caused panic in nearby residential and commercial areas, with the blast heard from a considerable distance.
Following the attack, additional security forces and rescue teams rushed to the site, and the area was placed on high alert.
Asked whether a threat alert had been issued prior to the incident, the police official said the force had already been on heightened vigilance. “You are aware of the overall situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the country, so we are on high alert.
It was due to this alertness that they were unable to enter the headquarters. They were neutralised at the gate,” CCPO Peshawar added.
The Jamatul Ahrar faction of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) later claimed responsibility for the attack. The paramilitary force, formerly known as the Frontier Constabulary, was renamed by the government in July.
Its headquarters, situated in a densely populated area near a military cantonment, houses barracks, a hospital and residential quarters.
Sources said the explosion occurred while a parade was underway inside the compound. According to initial information, around 450 personnel were present at the time.
The sources added that three suicide bombers approached the headquarters on foot. All of them were wearing suicide jackets and appeared to be acting as part of a coordinated plan.
They further said the attackers’ primary target was the parade.
A spokesperson for the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) said the number of injured in the Saddar blast had risen to 11, all of whom were shifted to the facility for treatment. He added that the condition of the injured was satisfactory.
According to the spokesperson, the injured included three FC personnel and a civilian. He confirmed that all patients were out of danger and that the emergency at LRH had since been lifted.
Meanwhile, funeral prayers for the three FC personnel martyred in the Peshawar suicide attack were offered at the FC headquarters. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Corps Commander Peshawar, the IG FC, the provincial police chief and other senior civil and military officials attended the funeral.
Floral wreaths were laid on the coffins, and military and security officials presented salutes to honour the fallen personnel.
