The killing of seven people in twin truck bombings near the Kohat tunnel, coming hours after the air raids at militant hideouts in the Mohmand Agency on Friday which left 28 insurgents dead and 30 injured, is a stark reminder of terrorist organisations regaining strength at a time when the security agencies claim control of the tribal belt. But whether there were any civilian casualties could not be confirmed due to lack of access to the battlefield.
The latest air offensive in Mohmand was a replay of the Swat operation where intense bombing by fighter jets and helicopter gunships had killed many civilians along with militants. The issue drew attention of the international community when the Human Rights Organisation of Pakistan published a detailed report based on the data collected from the area after the resettlement of the internally displaced persons. The need for eliminating the elements involved in challenging the writ of the state cannot be disputed but then the security agencies will have to exercise extra caution while targeting militant hideouts in and around civilian settlements. The lack of it can only antagonise the local population which has otherwise been supporting military offensives aimed at restoring stability in the troubled region bordering Afghanistan. As for the twin truck bombings in and outside the Kohat tunnel, a few things are particularly frightening: The capacity of terrorist organisations to retaliate and hit soft targets and the complacency of security forces. The fact that the checkpost located at Darra Adamkhel was empty points to inadequate measures for the protection of the tunnel which had recently been reopened for round-the-clock traffic.
The bombings of the strategic tunnel connecting Peshawar with Kohat presents the security establishment with a quandary. It has to keep in mind that targeting militant hideouts in the tribal region can lead to retaliatory attacks across the province. And this can only be countered through enhanced vigilance and improved intelligence gathering.
