ISLAMABAD: A suicide bomber struck a police patrol van in Lakki Marwatdistrict of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, killing Head Constable Alauddinand wounding five other officers in yet another deadly assault on lawenforcement personnel in the restive northwest region.
Police officials confirmed that the attacker detonated his explosives nearthe vehicle in the Bargai area, turning a routine security patrol into ascene of carnage. The injured officers were immediately shifted to a nearbyhospital where their condition is reported as stable.
A spokesman for the district police, Asif Hassan, stated that the suicidebomber had an accomplice who managed to escape the scene. Security forceshave cordoned off the area and launched a large-scale search operation toapprehend the fleeing suspect and any other members of the terror cell.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack and paid richtributes to the martyred head constable for his ultimate sacrifice in theline of duty. Speaking to the media in Lahore, the minister issued a sternwarning that Pakistan could no longer tolerate the continuous influx ofmilitants from across the western border.
“These cowardly acts of terror will never break our resolve,” Naqvideclared, adding that recent intelligence reports clearly link a series ofattacks to Afghan nationals and groups operating from Afghan soil. Heemphasised that the federal government had taken decisive measures againstundocumented foreigners and urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincialadministration to fully implement those directives without indulging inpolitical point-scoring.
The minister made it clear that the grace period for voluntary departurehad ended. “Our message to illegal Afghans is simple: leave with respectwhile you still can. Anyone apprehended now will face strict legal actionbefore deportation,” he warned.
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Monday’s blast is the latest in a string of terrorist incidents targetingsecurity forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since the collapse ofpeace talks with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. Officials maintainthat sanctuaries inside Afghanistan continue to provide logistical andoperational support to militant outfits carrying out cross-border attacks.
Security analysts have repeatedly highlighted the direct correlationbetween the presence of undocumented Afghans and the spike in terrorism.The federal government has already expelled hundreds of thousands of Afghannationals in recent months as part of Phase II of the Illegal ForeignersRepatriation Plan.
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