Categories
-Top News Asia News PAKISTAN

Mystery surrounds multiple blasts, gunfire in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

There was no official word from military or security agencies regarding the incidents, or the number of casualties.

 Multiple attacks, suspected to be terror incidents, were reported from across different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan on Thurs�day night, but there was no official word from military or security agencies regarding the incidents, or the number of casualties, media reports said.

A powerful explosion, followed by several blasts and heavy gunfire, rocked Lakki Marwat city on Thursday night, official sources said, the Dawn reported.

Sources said the blast took place near the Government Postgraduate College, which houses security forces and a military camp, Dawn reported.

Residents said that after the first explosion, several other blasts were also heard, followed by heavy gunfire, which partially damaged houses in the settled area.

People came out of their homes after the first blast shook the area, but subsequent explosions and gunfire drove them back indoors, Dawn reported.

Citing preliminary reports, sources said militants had attacked a military compound late in the night. “It was a bomb and gun attack,” they said, adding that troops retaliated and a fierce gun battle continued for about an hour.

The management of the district headquarters hospital called doctors and paramedics to duty to cope with any possible emergency.

Muhammad Ashfaq Khan, Lakki Marwat’s district police officer, said that the exchange of fire stopped and no casualty had been reported.

The attack came after three militants, who had targeted a retired colonel in his guestroom, were killed on April 24 in a shootout with counterterrorism and police officers in the Paharakhel Thall village of Lakki Marwat.

CTD inspector, Javed Iqbal, who was wounded in the exchange of fire, later succumbed to wounds at a hospital in Bannu.

Meanwhile, a number of other incidents were also reported in the early hours of Friday; two in the Janikhel area of Bannu district and one in the Mir Kalam area of Tank district. However, neither police nor Inter-Services Public Relations offered any information, Dawn reported.

ALSO READ: Gilgit-Baltistan in turmoil as Pakistan denies basic human rights

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Two dead as blasts hit Kabul gurdwara

The Ministry of Interior have confirmed the blasts and said a group of armed insurgents entered the gurdwara in Kart-e-Parwan area, reports Asian Lite News

At least two civilians were killed and three security personnel injured after three explosions ripped through a gurdwara in Kabul on Saturday, according to multiple sources.

The Ministry of Interior have confirmed the blasts and said a group of armed insurgents entered the gurdwara in Kart-e-Parwan area.

“Before entering, the enemy attacked the guards with a grenade, which caused a fire, and two of our Hindu compatriots, who were injured in the attack, were evacuated and taken to hospital for treatment,” the Ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, a car bomb was also detonated by the insurgents before it reached its target.

“Fortunately, they did not reach their target and detonated a car bomb before reaching the target.”

Meanwhile, a witness told Xinhua news agency: “We heard a huge blast which struck the gate of the temple at around 6 a.m. The blast was followed by two more explosions inside the temple.”

The security forces have cordoned off the area for precautionary measures, and several warning shots were also fired, he said.

A security source told Xinhua that the two people were killed during the first blast.

Videos on social media showed smoke billowing from the two-storey gurdwara which is surrounded by blast walls.

Mediapersons and the general public were not allowed to enter the site and no one knows what exactly is ongoing inside the compound.

Meanwhile, India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar has condemned the attack in Kabul.

“The cowardly attack on Gurudwara Karte Parwan should be condemned in the strongest terms by all,” Jaishankar tweeted.

“We have been closely monitoring developments since the news of the attack was received. Our first and foremost concern is for the welfare of the community,” he added.

Earlier in the day, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said that it was closely monitoring the situation.

We are deeply concerned at the reports emanating from Kabul about an attack on a sacred gurdwara in that city,” a statement citing Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and waiting for further details on the unfolding developments.”

In March 2020, two dozen worshippers were killed when a gurdwara was attacked in downtown Kabul.

In recent months, the war-torn country has been hit by a series of terror attacks reportedly staged by the Islamic State (IS) terror group opposing the Taliban-led government.

On Friday, one person was killed and seven others were wounded after a blast hit a mosque in the northern province of Kunduz.