Policeman martyred, 13 others injured in Bannu blast

By
GEO NEWS
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Reuters
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BANNU: One policeman was martyred and 13 others were injured in an improvised explosive device blast at General Bus Stand on Friday.

The device, apparently rigged to a motorcycle, exploded when a police patrol passed by the bus terminal, police official Nauman Khan told Reuters.

According to police, the injured included citizens and policemen. The injured were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Bannu. 

Five of the 13 wounded are in critical condition, said Ahsan Khan, an official at a district hospital.

Police has launched an investigation into the matter.

Bannu District in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is located close to North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas where incidents of security personnel being target have been recently reported.

On April 22, one security official was martyred while three others were injured in an explosion in Dattakhel area of North Waziristan Agency.

According to government officials, officials of the Bomb Disposal Unit were targetted while disposing of an explosive device. Subsequently, one official was martyred while three others were injured.

The blast was followed by another a few hours later in Miranshah, North Waziristan Agency. However, no casualties were reported in the second explosion.