QUETTA - A suicide bomber, in a bid to target the Frontier Corps commandant’s vehicle, detonated his 10kg-explosive jacket, killing a child and a woman among five others on Saturday.
The terror strike also caused injuries to four FC personnel among 27 civilians. The injured were rushed to hospital where condition of some of them was reported to be critical.
“The suicide bomber exploded his explosives close to the vehicle of the FC commandant,” confirmed Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, while talking to media persons. He added body parts of the suicide bomber had been collected from the scene.
According to police, the suicide bomber detonated the explosives near Sada Bahar Terminal at Sariab Road when he saws the vehicle of FC Commandant Colonel Ishtiaq coming. Reportedly, the commandant was not in the vehicle.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Abdur Razaaq Cheema told media persons during the inspection of the explosion site it was a suicide blast, adding parts of the body of the bomber had been found from the scene. The DIG noted the attacker had targeted the vehicle of the FC commandant at Sariab Road.
The powerful blast damaged three vehicles, one rickshaw, four motorcycles and scores of hotels and shops.
Heavy contingents of law-enforcement agencies and rescue teams rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area and shifted the dead bodies and wounded persons to Civil Hospital Quetta.
All government hospitals were placed under emergency following the blast to cope with the situation, said Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti.
“A child and a woman among five dead along with 27 wounded have been brought to Civil Hospital Quetta,” said Dr Waseem Baig, spokesman for Civil Hospital Quetta. Two women are also among the injured who are being treated at the hospital, Dr Waseem Baig said.
“The suicide bomber who was already present at Sariab Bridge, came close to the vehicle of the security forces when he saw it coming and exploded his explosive jacket,” revealed initial investigation of the police into the matter.
“The attacker used 10kg explosives in the strike,” unveiled the bomb disposal squad sources, adding the body parts of the bomber had been collected from the scene and are being sent for DNA test.
The incident of targeting the security vehicle in the Balochistan capital was reported just one day after the martyrdom of AIG Ashraf Noor of KP in Peshawar's Hayatabad area.
Home Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, talking to media persons, strongly condemned the incident and said: “We have bravely confronted terrorists before and will continue fighting them in the future with the same audacity,” Bugti reiterated the determination.
The police and Frontier Corps are the target of terrorists, but they have neither bowed before them, nor would they do so in the future, vowed the home minister, adding they would bring the terrorists and their abettors to justice. “We are in the state of war, so we have to face such kind of incidents,” averred Sarfaraz Bugti.
A widespread condemnation poured in over the loss of precious human lives from various political parties. Balochistan Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai and Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri also condemned the incident and expressed grief over the loss of precious lives.
TWO TERRORISTS NABBED
Two terrorists of a banned organisation were taken into custody during Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan operation in different parts of the province.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), FC Balochistan conducted operations in Dera Bugti, Uchh and Dera Murad Jamali and apprehended two terrorists of a banned outfit.
FC Balochistan also seized hand grenades, mines, 46 kilograms of explosive material and other arms from the terrorists. The security forces also recovered an explosive-laden motorcycle during operation in Dera Murad Jamali.