Four policemen killed in twin blasts at tehsil building in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

Peshawar: Four policemen were killed and several others injured when two suicide bombers from the banned Pakistani Taliban attacked a tehsil building compound in a restive tribal district of northwest Pakistan on Thursday, police said.

The militants triggered two blasts when the police were checking people entering the Bara Tehsil building in the Khyber tribal district bordering Peshawar, the capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The police said the bomber targeted a police station located inside the tehsil building, triggering intense firing between the police and terrorists. The building also houses the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) where hardcore terrorists are interrogated. According to the police, the initial report said one person was killed and 10 injured in the attack, but three more succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Nearby buildings were also damaged in the blast.

The injured have been shifted to Hayatabad medical complex in Peshawar. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Chief Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur told the media that the bombers made an attempt to enter the building from two different entrances. The two bombers were killed in the exchange of fire. Initial investigation said there were many police officials among the injured people. Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) militant group, which has been fighting to bring the law of Sharia across Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for the attack. The militant outfit, set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007, has in recent months stepped up attacks against security forces.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks following the Afghan Taliban's return to power in August 2021 and called upon the interim rulers to take decisive actions against terrorists including the TTP responsible for cross-border attacks. Earlier, two Pakistani policemen were killed and as many injured when the outlawed militant group attacked a police checkpoint in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday night. The outfit, which is believed to be close to Al-Qaeda, has also been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in 2009, assaults on military bases, and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. The TTP also orchestrated the heinous Army Public School attack in Peshawar in 2014, in which over 130 students were killed