Appearing from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Muzaffarabad & Quetta

Monday, August 31, 2009, Ramadan 9, 1430

17 cops martyred in Mingora blast
Indefinite curfew clamped

Tariq Saeed

Peshawar—A suicide bomb explosion in Police station Mingora Sunday morning killed up to 17 cop causing injuries to dozens others. The doctors in Saidu Sharif hospital feared the death toll might go higher as the condition of many wounded men in uniform was critical. According to details, a suicide bomber rammed his explosive laden car into the Special Police Training centre situated in the vicinity of Mingora Police station in Swat District playing hell in the area.

Eye witnesses said the bomb exploded at the training ground where policemen were going through a routine training session. The suicide attacker managed to penetrate into the ground and blew himself up among the trainee policemen.

Initially half a dozen cops were killed on the spot while scores others received critical injuries and were shifted to Saidu Sharif hospital where 11 more succumbed to their injuries.

Emergency was declared in the district hospitals. The security forces cordoned off the entire area and started search operation as the police collected evidences from the site of the blast. There were also reports of heavy firing immediately after the blast which was heard in large area of Mingora. The body parts of the victims lay scattered in the area as thick smoke engulfed the Mingora police station.

Panic spread among the people of the area after the explosion and all shops and markets were closed down as the district administration announced the imposition of indefinite curfew in Mingora City. A police official said the recruits targeted mostly belonged to Mingora.

Those denitrified among the killed were drill instructor Muhammad Alam, trainee policemen Akbar Ali, Muhammad Anwar, Hazrat Yousaf, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Nawab, Gohar Rehman, Aftab Gul, Inamullah Khan and Laiquat Ali.

The security forces are reported to have intensified search operation in Swat and adjoining areas following the deadly blast.

The Information Minister NWFP Mian Iftikhar Hussain confirming the killing of 14 policemen in the suicide attack admitted the terrorism was not rooted out from the region as yet.

He said government will continue to take action against anti-state elements and enemy of peace and such kind of situation would not deter us. Around 70 policemen were present at the police training centre at time of explosion.

The NWFP Governor, Owais Ahmed Ghani and Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti strongly condemned the suicide bomb attack on police at Mingora and expressed their deep shock and grief over the loss of precious lives. They described the incident as a highly cowardly act of terrorism.

In a condolence message on Sunday, the Governor said the incident itself speaks of the barbaric and retrogressive mindset of the miscreants involved in such inhuman acts of extremism, “who are already on the run, and are killing innocent citizens in frustration.” Such elements, he added, are in fact the enemies of the country and targeting security forces is the clear proof of their nefarious designs.

While expressing his heartfelt sympathies with members of the bereaved families, the Governor and the Chief Minister held out the assurance that the elements involved in the heinous crime would be brought to book shortly. They asked the people to fully cooperate with the law enforcement agencies and ensure lasting peace in the area.

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