Peshawar: Three security personnel were killed and 12 people injured on Monday when three suicide bombers attacked the headquarters of a paramilitary force located in the heart of Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan.
The suicide bombers, who attempted to storm the Federal Constabulary (FC) headquarters when dozens of troops were preparing for the morning parade, were also killed in counter-firing, Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mian Saeed Ahmad told reporters.
“Initially, three militants tried to attack the headquarters. One terrorist blew himself up at the main gate, while two others tried to enter the premises but were gunned down by FC personnel,” he said.
According to Dawn newspaper, the Jamat-ul Ahrar faction of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. The TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007.
Citing spokesmen of the hospitals, it said that 11 injured people were brought to Lady Reading Hospital, while one injured person had been brought to Khyber Teaching Hospital.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said that two suicide explosions took place inside the FC headquarters, one at the main gate and the other near the motorcycle stand located within the premises.
The powerful blast at the main gate triggered panic in the surrounding residential and commercial areas, with the explosion heard from a considerable distance.
The headquarters of the force is located in a crowded area, close to a military cantonment.
According to video footage, one of the suicide bombers approached the main gate of the FC Headquarters on foot. The attacker, draped in a shawl, detonated himself at the security checkpoint located at the main entrance.
The initial findings stated that three FC personnel were killed on the spot due to the explosion.
Immediately after the blast, two other attackers entered the FC Headquarters through the side gate. Both were armed with rifles and
hand grenades.