At least five people, including chief of a peace lashkar and his two security guards, were killed and three others injured in a suicide attack in Daggar area of Buner district on Saturday.
Fateh Khan, an influential figure in Buner, was the chief of peace lashkar and had association with the newly-established Qaumi Watan Party of Aftab Khan Sherpao. Officials said Khan and his security guards were boarding their vehicle at Khan’s petrol filling station when an unidentified man rammed his explosives-laden motorcycle into the car, setting off a massive explosion. Police officer Rashid Khan said as a result of the attack, Khan, his driver and two security guards got killed on the spot, while a passer-by was also killed. Three others were injured in the explosion that smashed the vehicle into pieces. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told the media over telephone that the group had launched the attack on Fateh Khan for leading an armed resistance against the Taliban. However, the spokesman claimed the suicide bomber was sent on foot, contradicting police reports that the bomb was detonated by a man on a motorcycle.
Soon after the incident, high-ranking civil and police officers rushed to the site and cordoned off the site. No arrest has been made so far. Belong to village Sultanwas, Khan and his family played a key role in fighting the Taliban influence in Buner in 2009. Khan and his relatives also joined hands to constitute a peace lashkar in the area to fight the Taliban. Despite they being driven out of the area, the Taliban pose a continuous threat to all those people who spoke out or acted against their reign in Buner.
TTP assassinates peace lashkar chief in Buner
