MIRANSHAH:
A bomb disposal officer was martyred and a hand grenade attack on police was foiled in two separate incidents in Upper and Lower South Waziristan on the same day, underscoring the persistent security challenges in the tribal districts.
In the first incident, Assistant In-charge of the Bomb Disposal Unit Abdul Jabbar was killed while defusing explosive devices in the Janta area of Sararogha tehsil in Upper South Waziristan. District Police Officer Ashfaq Khan told The Express Tribune that Jabbar was engaged in rendering explosive material safe when an IED detonated, critically injuring him. He later succumbed to his wounds.
Police sources said Jabbar had successfully neutralised one improvised explosive device before the second device exploded as he attempted to defuse it. Investigators suspect the second device may have been planted specifically to target the bomb disposal squad. The station house officer of Sararogha, accompanied by a police contingent, reached the scene, collected evidence and recorded an initial report. The case has been referred to the Counter-Terrorism Department for further investigation and formal registration of an FIR.
In a separate incident the same day in Toi Khula Bazaar of Lower South Waziristan, a burqa-clad unidentified person threw a hand grenade at a gate near a police post. The grenade failed to explode, leaving all officers unharmed. The attacker fled the scene. Because the individual was wearing a burqa, identification has not been possible. Police have registered an initial report and launched a search for the suspect.
The failed grenade attack has created anxiety in the locality. Coming on the same day as the fatal IED blast in the neighbouring district, the twin incidents have again drawn attention to the security situation in both Upper and Lower South Waziristan. Over the past two years the region has seen a rise in terrorist attacks targeting police, security forces and civilians. The martyrdom of a bomb disposal officer and the attempted attack on police personnel have further highlighted the dangers faced by law-enforcement personnel in the area.
