Border town suffers another deadly terror strike
Friday’s blast in a crowded market in the Kurram Agency capital is doubly disturbing, not only for the human toll, 22 killed, 57 wounded so far, but because the success of Operation Raddul Fassad had lulled people into a sense of security that terrorists could never dare strike again with such ease and heinous manner as their previous attacks, in FATA’s largest town. Details of the tragic event are awaited, and no group has claimed responsibility so far, but the signature soft target of a crowded market near an Imambargah bears all the hallmarks of the two outlawed sectarian organisations behind such atrocities in the past, singly or in cahoots, the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi al-Alami and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan splinter group of Shahryar Mehsud. Their expertise lies in the Improvised Explosive Device planted near the target and exploded remotely at the ‘opportune’ time. It is puzzling how these cold blooded killers organised the latest hit and then managed to penetrate the thick security cordon, with its body frisking and searches, numerous road checkpoints, under the noses of the experienced security personnel.
True, Parachinar by its geography presents a security nightmare, being bounded by three Afghan provinces which provide a ready conduit and convenient escape routes for the ‘shoot and scoot’ kind of terrorist, as opposed to the suicide bomber with his supposed one-way ticket to seventh heaven. Their lethal tally in this small town of 50,000- plus inhabitants includes the January 2017 vegetable market bombing (25 dead, 87 injured), a blast in a used clothes market in December 2015 (25 dead, 62 wounded), another explosion in July 2013 (57 killed and 190 injured) and in November 2014, an IED exploding near a school bus (2 dead, 5 injured).The victim’s kinsmen are now rightly demanding fool-proof assurances of security from the government before burying their dead. After the January 2017 incident, the Army Chief stated that terrorists would fail in the attempt to regain their lost relevance. Hopefully, ongoing Radd-ul-Fasaad will finish the job. But for now, it is the familiar tale of lamentation.
