13 injured as bomb rips through police van in S Waziristan

Author: Agencies

A remote-controlled bomb attack on a police van in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) South Waziristan injured 13 people, including six police personnel and seven civilians, sources said on Monday

According to police officials, the bomb exploded on a police van at Kir kot Road in the Wana Rustam Bazar.

The officials added they reached site of the incident as soon as the blast was reported, while rescue teams arrived there to shifted the injured to the District Headquarters Hospital Wana. One of the critically injured victims of the attack has been shifted to Dera Ismail Khan.

Meanwhile, Medical Superintendent Dr Hamad Mahmood told the media the injured brought to the hospital included both civilians and police personnel.

On the other hand, the police sources mentioned the start of the anti-polio campaign in the region from today.

At least two police vehicles were going towards Krikot Road to provide security to the polio workers in the locality, which is when one of the vehicles was targeted in the attack.

The area, the sources added, has been cordoned off and investigation into the tragic incident has begun.

District Health Officer Dr Inayat Rahman told the media that the polio campaign has been started across the district today with at least 70,000 children over the age of five are being vaccinated. According to the DHO, strict security arrangements have been made throughout the district with 480 police personnel deployed for the security of 297 polio teams. Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday strongly condemned the incident of firing targeting a police mobile van in Panjgur. The prime minister also expressed deep grief over the martyrdom of a police Sub-inspector Shakeel Ahmed in the incident, according to a PM Office press release. He prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in peace and strength for the bereaved family to bear the loss.

“The whole nation stands by the soldiers sacrificing their lives in the fight against terrorism. This war will continue till the elimination of this scourge in toto,” Prime Minister Shehbaz resolved.