CHARSADDA: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan on Friday claimed its first major strike in revenge for Osama bin Laden’s death, as at least 87 people, most of them Frontier Constabulary Personnel, were killed in a twin suicide blast at an armed Police training center in Charsadda. The bombing also left over 100 injured, besides destroying more than dozen vehicles and 20 shops. The attack took Place at about 6.10 a.m. time when a motorcycle and a horse cart, both laden with explosives, targeted the Frontier Corps training center in the Shabqadar area of the city. At a time of bombing, newly-trained Paramilitary cadets were getting into buses and coaches for a 10-day leave after a training course, and they were wearing civilian clothes.
Commandant FC Akbar Hoti told media men the blasts have killed 87 people including 67 FC Personnel, 20 civilians, besides injuring more than 100 injured including 52 FC Personnel. IG Khyber-Pukhtankhawa Fiaz Khan Toor and DPO Charsadda Nisar Marwat have also confirmed death of 87 people in the bombings. DPO Charsadda said that the suicide bomber came on a motorcycle and blew himself up among Frontier Constabulary Personnel. The bomb disposal squad told him that the second bomb was planted, he added. He said that around 20 shops and 12 vehicles were destroyed in the intensity of the blasts. The Frontier Constabulary Personnel had recently completed their year-long training and passed out during a parade held on 5 May, he said. They were going home for a 10-day leave when the bombers struck.
Most of the personnel, who were in plainclothes, were sitting in mini buses when the bombers struck, he added. Around 20 KGs explosive material were used in the twin blasts. The injured had been shifted to different hospitals in Peshawar. Hospital sources said that the death toll could further rise as many of the injured are still in critical condition and hospitals both in Charsadda and its neighboring city Peshawar lack enough medical facilities including sufficient blood for the wounded people. The troops have cordoned off the area shortly after the blasts were reported. Journalists are kept away from the blast site. Ahmad Ali, a wounded Paramilitary Personnel, recalled the horror when the explosions turned a festive on Friday morning into a bloodbath. “I was sitting in a van waiting for my colleagues. We were in plain clothes and we were happy we were going to see our families,” he told media men at Shabqadar hospital.
“I heard someone shouting ‘Allah Akbar’ and then I heard a huge blast. I was hit by something in my back shoulder. In the meantime I heard another blast and I jumped out of the van. I felt that I was injured and bleeding.” Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan, speaking to reporters on phone from an undisclosed location, claimed the attack was the “first revenge” for the killing of bin Laden in a US raid in the garrison city of Abbottabad on 2 May. He warned the militants would carry out “bigger attacks”. ‘We warn the people that they should not allow their children to join the Pakistani military and paramilitary forces because we are planning more attacks on them, you will see soon even bigger attacks on security forces. Our security forces have allied themselves with the American,’ Ihsan said. – onlinenews
