On Monday, suicide bombers targeted the Federal Constabulary’s (FC) headquarters located in Peshawar city, within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Mian Saeed Ahmad, a police officer from Peshawar, informed Dawn that one bomber detonated himself at the entrance, while two others attempted to breach the FC premises but were shot down by FC personnel.
In a separate statement, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed confirmed that two of the assailants were indeed suicide bombers.
According to The Dawn, the assault occurred around 8 am local time.
The Express Tribune reported that the incident resulted in the deaths of at least three individuals and left nine others injured, including both military personnel and civilians.
Mohammad Asim, the spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital, stated to The Tribune, “Nine injured victims from the Saddar blast have been transferred to LRH.”
He further added, “The injured are in stable condition and are receiving medical treatment… All injured individuals are currently out of danger, and an emergency has been declared at LRH.”
IG Hameed mentioned that there had been no specific threat alert prior to the attack on the FC headquarters. However, he noted that prompt action enabled security forces to swiftly control the situation.
Hameed also remarked that similar attacks in the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had recently been thwarted, and a comprehensive security review for the province was conducted last week.
In a separate report, a senior official informed Reuters that law enforcement agencies, including the army and police, have secured the area and are managing the situation cautiously, as there are suspicions of terrorists still being present inside the headquarters.
The assault on the FC, a federal paramilitary force, occurs amidst a rising tide of violence in Pakistan, particularly from groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which have been active from northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to southwestern Balochistan.
Earlier in September, an attack attributed to the TTP resulted in the deaths of six soldiers when assailants targeted the FC base in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Balochistan.
