A suicide bomber on Sunday rammed his vehicle filled with 250 kg of explosives into a police station in northwest Pakistan killing at least seven persons and injuring 26, a day after two burqa-clad attackers struck a relief camp for displaced people claiming 41 lives.
The bomber struck the police station within the cantonment in Kohat, a city located 60 kms from the North West Frontier Province capital Peshawar, Deputy Inspector General of Police Abdullah Khan told reporters at the site of the attack. This was the second attack on the same police station, which was struck by a suicide bomber last year, killing several policemen and civilians.
The police station was recently rebuilt, officials said. Seven people were killed in today's blast which took place at 7.15 am local time. Six policemen were among the 26 injured, who were taken to a local hospital, Khan said. The blast destroyed the police station and damaged nearby buildings, including a primary school.
The school was closed because of a weekly holiday on Sunday. The casualties would have been higher if it had been open, police said. The blast was heard across Kohat and witnesses said they had seen thick smoke rising into the air.
Officials said the bomber detonated his explosives when police guards tried to stop the vehicle from approaching the police station. Experts of the bomb disposal squad said about 250 kg of explosives were used in the attack. The blast caused a crater several feet deep. This morning's attack occurred about 30 km from the site where two suicide bombers killed 41 people and injured 65 others yesterday.
The burqa-clad bombers struck a food distribution point set up for people displaced by anti-militancy operations in the tribal belt. DIG Khan said the suicide attacks were a reaction to the ongoing military operation against militants in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. He said militants were regularly targeting security forces in frustration.
The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al-Almi claimed responsibility for yesterday's attack, which targeted Shia internally displaced people from Orakzai tribal region. PTI
