PESHAWAR - At least nine security personnel were killed and several others sustained injured when a roadside bomb exploded in North Waziristan Agency on Thursday morning.
An IED bomb planted by terrorists on Miranshah-Ghulam Khan Road exploded when a convoy of the security forces was passing by. The bomb was trigged with a remote control and there were fears that death toll could rise as many of the injured were said to be in critical condition.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the officials said the Taliban, seeking to set up an Islamic state, were responsible. Village elders said the blast, which was heard all around Miranshah, created panic, forcing people to retreat into their homes and close down shops and markets.
According to the ISPR, nine personnel of Frontier Corps were martyred in the attack while several others sustained injuries. The vehicle was also damaged. Helicopters were used to airlift the dead and the injured to CMH Miranshah.
“The paramilitary forces were doing some internal movements along the Afghan border when their pickup truck was blown up,” a senior military official based in Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan, said.
Soon after the blast, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. Meanwhile, gunship helicopters also targeted suspected militants’ hideouts in area. However, it is not yet clear that how many causalities occurred in the army’s attacks.
SOLDIER DIES IN SWA FIRING
A security personnel was killed when a checkpost in South Waziristan came under attack by terrorists on Thursday. According to a statement released by ISPR, a military personal embraced shahadat on Thursday noon during a terrorist attack.
However, it did not divulge other details of the incident. The area is cut off to journalists and aid workers so it was not possible to confirm other details.
South Waziristan is among Pakistan’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with home-grown insurgents and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives.
The tribal region was once the main stronghold for the Pakistani Taliban. The military launched a large offensive against militants there in 2009, but insurgents still operate in the area and periodically stage attacks.