HANGU: A senior police officer was among three personnel martyred and several others wounded in back-to-back explosions in Hangu district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, officials said.
Police said the first blast occurred in the Bilyamina police station limits, when unidentified attackers blew up the Gulmina police post using explosives. The blast damaged a nearby room of the post, but no casualties were reported.
Soon after, Superintendent of Police (SP) Operations Asad Zubair and his team were heading to inspect the damaged site when a second explosion targeted their vehicle. The blast killed SP Zubair and two other policemen on the spot and injured several others.
District Police Officer Khanzeb Mohmand confirmed the casualties and said the wounded were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Hangu.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed also confirmed the attack, saying SP Zubair had been en route to assess the first explosion when his convoy came under attack.
Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to trace the perpetrators. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the twin blasts.
The IGP said an investigation is underway to determine the nature of the explosives and the group behind the coordinated attack.
Hangu has witnessed several militant assaults in recent months. In August, two Frontier Constabulary personnel were martyred and 11 others injured in an attack on a check post in Torawarai area, claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Earlier in July, three law enforcement officers were injured in a gun battle with militants in the Shanaori Zargari area of Hangu. Officials say the latest attack highlights the persistent security challenges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s border districts.
