PESHAWAR: At least 50 people were killed and over 70 injured on Monday when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the premises of the office of the Galanai political agent in Mohmand Agency.
The deceased included personnel of Khasadar Force, volunteers of the Safi Aman Committee, two leading anti-Taliban tribal elders, three officials and two correspondents for private television channels.
Around 25 of the injured were admitted to Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, where the condition of 12 was said to be critical. According to details, two suicide bombers in Khasadar Forces’ uniform arrived at the main gate of the Civil Officers’ Complex on motorcycles. One of them succeeded in entering the premises of the political agent’s office and blew himself up, close to the place where a jirga of the Safi Aman Committee, headed by the assistant political agent, was in session.
Khasadar Force personnel managed to stop the second assailant, but he also blew himself up at the gate.
Malik Behram Khan, a tribal elder who was around 100 yards away from the blast site, said 30 people were killed on the spot, while dozens of others sustained serious injuries. Dr Shad of Agency Headquarter Hospital said 40 people were killed and more than 70 injured. Besides the loss of life, several portions of the official complex were damaged. Mohmand Political Agent Amjad Ali Khan said the suicide jackets were prepared using bullets, ball bearings and nails.
The deceased journalists were identified as Abdul Wahab of Express News and Pervez Khan of Waqt News. Malik Salim Mohmand, chief of Safi Aman Committee and tribal elder Kachkool Mohmand were also among those killed.
Omar Khalid, chief of Tehreek-e-Taliban Mohmand Agency, claimed responsibility for the attacks. He also threatened the government with similar terrorist attacks in the future as well if it did not release the group’s members in government’s custody.
