Suicide blast kills 6, injures 56 in northwest Pakistan

The bomber blew himself up when the vehicle came out from the office of the tribal police in Jamrud.

“The suicide bomber was aiming to enter his office but the plot was foiled because of the strict security measures in place at the complex. Therefore, the bomber could not enter the premises and blew himself up at the entrance gate, Political Agent Shahab Ali Shah was quoted as saying by Dawn.

The attacker, who was on foot, targeted area commander Tehsinullah Khan when his vehicle came out of the tribal police headquarters in Jamrud, government administrator Fahad Wazir said. He said Khan survived the attack, but was wounded.

At least 15 security personnel were among 56 injured.

As many as 25 injured were taken to Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar, where a state of emergency had already been declared. Others were rushed to nearby hospitals.

Jamrud is located 25 <g data-gr-id="29">kms</g> from Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The security forces cordoned off the area and mounted a search operation in the area. Later, Tehrik-<g data-gr-id="33">e-Taliban</g> Pakistan claimed responsibility for the blast, saying a special group carried out the attack.

In an email message to the media outlets, TTP spokesman Said Muhammad <g data-gr-id="34">Khurasni</g> said the special group has been assigned the task to target the government officials engaged in implementation of national action plan and security forces.

Khyber Agency is one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous regions governed by tribal laws and lies near the Afghan border. The Taliban and other <g data-gr-id="35">Al Qaeda-linked</g> groups who stage attacks in both Pakistan and Afghanistan are also known to have strongholds in the zone.