Police say Jabbar defuses one IED, but another explodes during neutralisation attempt
Ambulances are seen at the site of an explosion near the police headquarters in Kohat in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on September 18, 2026. Photo: AFP
MIRANSHAH:
An assistant in charge of the bomb disposal unit was martyred after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded while he was attempting to defuse explosives in the Janta area of Sararogha tehsil, Upper South Waziristan, on Saturday.
South Waziristan Upper District Police Officer (DPO), Ashfaq Khan, told The Express Tribune that the deceased official was identified as Abdul Jabbar. He said the police official was engaged in a bomb disposal operation when an explosion occurred, leaving him seriously injured. He later succumbed to his injuries.
Khan said that assistant in charge Jabbar had successfully defused an IED planted in the area before the explosion. However, another explosive device went off when he was attempting to neutralise it.
According to the DPO, the second device was suspected to have been planted by terrorists to target the bomb disposal squad. However, the circumstances surrounding the incident were being investigated.
He further told The Express Tribune that Sararogha Station House Officer (SHO), along with a police contingent, rushed to the site soon after receiving information about the blast.
The police team inspected the area, collected evidence and launched an investigation into the incident.
Khan said an initial report of the incident had been entered in the daily station diary. The case had subsequently been referred to the counter-terrorism department (CTD) for registration of a formal first information report (FIR) and further legal proceedings.
The incident comes amid a persistent surge in terrorist attacks in Upper and Lower South Waziristan over the past two years.
Police personnel, security forces and civilians have increasingly come under attack in the two districts, raising serious concerns about the deteriorating law and order situation in the region.
The martyrdom of the bomb disposal official has once again highlighted the risks faced by personnel involved in defusing improvised explosive devices and other explosive materials in the terrorist-hit tribal districts.
Jabbar’s death is another loss for the police force, particularly for those engaged in dangerous operations to prevent explosive devices from causing casualties among local residents and security personnel.
