S. WAZIRISTAN: At least two police officials were martyred and 31 others, including security personnel and civilians, were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in Rustam Bazaar in Wana, the main town of South Waziristan.
Wana Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asghar Ali Shah confirmed that several police officers were among the injured, including five station house officers (SHOs) and two assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs).
The explosion took place at around 5pm in the busy Rustam Bazaar area of the tribal district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Soon after the blast, police sealed off the area and began an investigation.
The incident occurred amid ongoing security operations by Pakistani armed forces in border regions near Afghanistan under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, aimed at targeting militant elements allegedly supported by the Afghan Taliban authorities.
Police officials said the blast happened while policemen on routine patrol were present in the crowded market. The explosive device went off with a powerful blast, leaving several policemen and civilians injured, while two officers were martyred on the spot.
DSP Shah said the explosives had been planted near the main entrance of a supermarket in the market and were likely detonated either through a remote-control mechanism or a timed device.
Following the explosion, local residents, police personnel and rescue teams rushed to the scene and launched relief operations. The injured were shifted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Wana for treatment.
Authorities confirmed that 18 civilians, including children, were among those wounded in the blast.
DHQ Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Jan Mohammad said the bodies of the two martyred policemen were brought to the hospital, while the injured included four police officers and more than a dozen civilians.
He added that several young people and children were among the wounded and were receiving medical care at the hospital.
An emergency was declared at DHQ Hospital Wana to ensure immediate treatment for the injured.
DSP Shah also said that Additional SHO Momin was among the injured police officers and had been moved to Wana Scouts Hospital in critical condition.
Police have launched a formal probe to determine the exact nature of the explosion and identify those behind it, while security has been tightened across the area.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took notice of the incident and strongly condemned the attack. He directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to submit a detailed report on the blast.
The chief minister expressed grief over the martyrdom of the two policemen and injuries to several others, including police officials. He also conveyed condolences to the families of the martyrs, assuring them that the provincial government stood by them in this difficult time.
Afridi further instructed authorities to ensure that the injured receive the best possible medical treatment and ordered special emergency measures for the critically wounded SHO and ASI.
He said such cowardly acts of terrorism would not shake the determination of the people or the government.
