He told Reuters that “The bodies of lawyers, policemen and civilians were transferred from the site of the blast”. Both attacks were claimed by a breakaway Pakistani Taliban faction called Jamaat-Ur-Ahrar yesterday. Northwestern Pakistan was struck by two separate militant attacks on Friday.
Advertisement
The attacker lobbed a hand grenade before exploding himself at the main gate of Mardan district courts, DPO Mardan told The Express Tribune.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi strongly condemned recent terrorist attacks in neighboring Pakistan, which left at least 19 people dead and dozens of others wounded.
Officials said that 10 people were killed, of which at least one was a police officer, local media reported. Five security officials and guards were wounded.
According to an earlier Firstpost report, the firing began around 6 am when terrorists attacked the colony and exchanged fire with security forces in Warsak area of Peshawar district in Khyber-Pakthunkhwa province, officials said. Seven of the injured are said to be in critical condition, and the death toll is likely to rise.
Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched further investigation.
The Pakistani Taliban in particular routinely target minority groups, and in 2011 gunned down Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who was federal minister for minority affairs.
“If Islamic law is not imposed across the country, such attacks will continue to be carried out”, the terror group said in a statement.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and ISIL issued competing claims of responsibility for a bomb blast last month targeting lawyers and journalists gathering outside a hospital in the city of Quetta that killed about 70 people. All 4 suicide bombers killed.
“We have enhanced the security of Christians establishments, schools, hospitals, colonies and churches”, said Zulfikar.
Advertisement
Army Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa said the attack was quickly repulsed.
