Five killed, 20 injured in Peshawar suicide attack

PESHAWAR : At least five persons including a policeman were killed and 20 others including four policemen were injured in a suicide attack near State Life Building at Mall Road here on Thursday.

Police sources said an on foot suicide bomber was heading towards PIA office when he was stopped at a security check post for checking. The attacker blew explosives strapped on his vest, after failing to reach his apparent target, police sources said.

“The attacker wanted to enter main Sadar area, where many important buildings are situated, but brave policeman challenged him and sacrificed his life to save others,” police officials said apparently the target of the attacker was the nearby PIA office.

Police said many important places including PIA building, State Life building, offices of financial organizations, convent primary school, a mosque and a church were located in the area.

The security deployed on the security check post intercepted the attacker and insisted for his search, when he blew himself up, DCO Peshawar Sahabzada Anees said five people were killed and 20 others were injured in the blast.

Two among the dead were identified as police constable Hanyatullah and a shopkeeper Shanshan Khan.

The dead bodies and injured were taken to Lady Reading Hospital and CMH hospitals where several of them were said to be in a critical condition.

The hospital sources also confirmed that five people have been killed in the blast.

The blast damaged five cars parked near the blast scene.

DCO Peshawar confirmed that it was a suicide attack. He said one suicide attacker was involved in the incident.

NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar said that it is time to change the strategy on war on terror. "Now we have to adopt an offensive strategy rather than a defensive approach," he said and added that the hideouts and training camps of terrorists should be targeted.

Senior Provincial Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour confirmed that five people, including a security official have been killed in the incident. He was talking to newsmen at the blast site soon after the attack.

The minister said two people came on a motorcycle, carried out the attack. However, DCO Peshawar said only one person was involved in the attack.INP