ISLAMABAD: Three suicide bombers struck the Frontier Constabularyheadquarters in Peshawar on Monday morning, killing three paramilitarypersonnel and injuring eleven others in a coordinated assault that exposedpersisting vulnerabilities in the city’s high-security cantonment zone.
The attack unfolded at approximately 8:45 a.m. when a suicide bomberdetonated his explosives at the main entrance gate of the FC complex inSaddar Bazaar, a crowded commercial area. Two additional attackersattempted to breach the premises but were neutralised by alert FC troopsbefore they could trigger their devices, according to Peshawar Capital CityPolice Officer Dr Mian Saeed.
“Initial blast at the gate created panic and confusion, which the other twotried to exploit,” Dr Saeed told journalists at the scene. Hospital sourceslater confirmed that besides the three slain FC personnel, nine civiliansand two more troops sustained injuries, some critical.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)operating from bases across the Afghan border, promptly claimedresponsibility through its media wing. The group described the operation asretaliation for ongoing military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and vowedfurther attacks on security installations.
Security analysts view the incident as a significant escalation, comingbarely three weeks after a fragile understanding between Islamabad and theTTP collapsed. The choice of target—an FC headquarters located in the heartof Peshawar cantonment—signals improved operational planning by militantnetworks and raises questions about intelligence penetration in a zone thathouses multiple military and paramilitary formations.
Monday’s assault follows a pattern of resurgence by TTP-affiliated groupssince the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in 2021, with cross-bordersanctuaries enabling recruitment, training and infiltration. KhyberPakhtunkhwa recorded over 180 terrorism-related incidents this year alone,claiming more than 300 lives, mostly security personnel.
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The provincial government has announced compensation of Rs5 million eachfor the families of the martyred troops and ordered enhanced perimetersecurity across all sensitive installations in Peshawar.
Source: www.dawn.com/news/1876543″>https://www.dawn.com/news/1876543Source:https://tribune.com.pk/story/2498765/three-fc-personnel-martyred-in-pearl-attack
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