PESHAWAR – At least seven people including two women were killed and 19 others injured in twin truck bombings that targeted a key road tunnel which connects Peshawar to Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, private TV channels reported early on Saturday.
The attacks took place late on Friday night in and outside the tunnel. In the first attack, an explosive-laden truck entered the tunnel and blew up, badly damaging another truck behind it, wounding five people, said Shahidullah, the district coordination officer of Kohat.
Security officials said that the attack aimed to damage the Japanese-built tunnel, which had been recently reopened to 24-hour vehicle traffic after being open during the day only because of the risk of militant attacks. In the second incident, an oil tanker packed with explosives hit a joint paramilitary Frontier Corps and army checkpoint outside the tunnel, the DCO said.
“The checkpoint was empty but four civilians, including two women who were travelling in a passenger van behind the tanker, were killed and 14 others wounded in the attack,” Shahidullah said. The checkpoint is located in Darra Adam Khel, which is known for its weapons bazaar and illegal arms factories.
A local police spokesman confirmed the two attacks and casualties, and said that at least 500 kilograms of explosives were used in the first attack. The security forces cordoned off the tunnel immediately after the incidents and closed it to traffic, he said.
