At least four people, including senior provincial government officials, were killed and 11 others injured in a powerful roadside bomb blast targeting a convoy in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province today.
The explosion took place in the Bajaur district, where a vehicle carrying two senior government officials, including an Assistant Commissioner, was struck by an improvised explosive device.
The blast killed both officials on the spot, along with two policemen who were accompanying them. A faction named Usood-ul-Harb of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister’s Adviser on Information, Barrister Saif condemned the bomb blast, terming it a “highly tragic incident”.
“The loss of precious lives, including the assistant commissioner and tehsildar, is deeply saddening,” he said in a press release. “We will not allow anti-state elements to succeed in their nefarious designs,” he added.
He further said that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident and directed the provision of immediate medical assistance to the injured.
Security forces swiftly cordoned off the area, while a search operation and investigation into the attack are underway.