By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into the boundary wall next to the main gate of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) Lines, around 5:10 am, causing a powerful explosion that was heard far and wide, officials said.
According to District Police Officer (DPO) Saleem Abbas Kalachi, following the suicide blast, five militants stormed into the FC Lines. During the security operation, one militant was killed inside the FC ground, while four others were gunned down after an intense exchange of fire with police, FC and other security personnel.
Cantonment police station SHO Damsaz Khan sustained critical injuries, while five other policemen were also wounded in the crossfire, raising the total number of injured police personnel to six.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Bannu Sajjad Khan rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital Bannu, visited the injured and oversaw the medical treatment. SHO Damsaz Khan, in critical condition, was shifted to the operating theatre for surgery. Meanwhile, DPO Saleem Abbas Kalachi personally supervised the ongoing operation against the militants inside the FC Lines.
Providing an update, officials confirmed that six policemen, including SHO Damsaz Khan, were injured, while five militants were killed. The clearance operation is still underway till the filing of this report. The condition of SHO Damsaz Khan remains critical, and prayers have been requested for his recovery.
Speaking to the media, DPO Kalachi said that no terrorist activity would be tolerated in Bannu, adding that terrorists could never be considered Muslims.
