A senior Pakistani police officer was killed as a suicide bomber targeted a police vehicle in Peshawar's Hayatabad area on Friday.
A senior Pakistani police officer was killed as a suicide bomber targeted a police vehicle in Peshawar's Hayatabad area on Friday.
Additional Inspector General (AIG) Headquarters Ashraf Noor and his gunman were killed as the bomber rammed his motorcycle into the police vehicle in Peshawar, capital of the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Six cops escorting the vehicle were also injured in the blast, police said.
Ashraf Noor was on his way to work when his vehicle came under the attack.
The vehicle caught fire after the blast and a thick cloud of smoke could be seen billowing from the area, police said.
The suicide bomber, on a motorbike, targeted the police convoy.
The blast was so powerful that the windowpanes of the passing vehicles also broke and the nearby trees caught fire.
The blast appeared to be a suicide attack, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Tahir Khan was quoted as saying by the Dawn News.
There were conflicting claims regarding the number of dead and injured in the blast, Dawn reported.
Tahir Khan confirmed the death of AIG Noor added that at least six policemen had been injured and were shifted to Peshawar's Hayatabad Medical Complex for treatment.
Sub-Inspector Ejaz, a police official who was present at the blast site, said that the AIG had lost his life in the blast, along with two others ─ a security guard and the vehicle's driver ─ placing the death toll at three.
An AFP report said that the AIG and his bodyguard were killed in the attack.
Following the blast, security officials cordoned off the area and began a search operation in the surrounding area.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi strongly condemned the blast in Peshawar.
He said that dastardly acts of the militants cannot deter our law-enforcement agencies and the nation in taking the fight to its logical conclusion. Our resolve to eradicate the menace of terrorism cannot be shaken, Mr. Abbasi said.
For decades the city of Peshawar has faced the threat of militants, due to its status as a front line for the ongoing war on terror as well as its proximity to the restless tribal areas and the Pak-Afghan border.
In September, at least three policemen were killed by two Taliban gunmen in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Six cops escorting the vehicle were also injured in the blast, police said.
Ashraf Noor was on his way to work when his vehicle came under the attack.
The vehicle caught fire after the blast and a thick cloud of smoke could be seen billowing from the area, police said.
The suicide bomber, on a motorbike, targeted the police convoy.
The blast was so powerful that the windowpanes of the passing vehicles also broke and the nearby trees caught fire.
The blast appeared to be a suicide attack, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Tahir Khan was quoted as saying by the Dawn News.
There were conflicting claims regarding the number of dead and injured in the blast, Dawn reported.
Tahir Khan confirmed the death of AIG Noor added that at least six policemen had been injured and were shifted to Peshawar's Hayatabad Medical Complex for treatment.
Sub-Inspector Ejaz, a police official who was present at the blast site, said that the AIG had lost his life in the blast, along with two others ─ a security guard and the vehicle's driver ─ placing the death toll at three.
An AFP report said that the AIG and his bodyguard were killed in the attack.
Following the blast, security officials cordoned off the area and began a search operation in the surrounding area.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi strongly condemned the blast in Peshawar.
He said that dastardly acts of the militants cannot deter our law-enforcement agencies and the nation in taking the fight to its logical conclusion. Our resolve to eradicate the menace of terrorism cannot be shaken, Mr. Abbasi said.
For decades the city of Peshawar has faced the threat of militants, due to its status as a front line for the ongoing war on terror as well as its proximity to the restless tribal areas and the Pak-Afghan border.
In September, at least three policemen were killed by two Taliban gunmen in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
(With agencies)
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