By Naveed Naqvi
ISLAMABAD: A suicide bomber and his accomplice on Friday blew themselves up, killing a policeman and injuring six people in the capital Islamabad when police gave pursuit at a security checkpoint, officials said.
The incident took place in Sector I-10/4 in Islamabad’s upscale residential area, close to the garrison town of Rawalpindi.
A special anti-terror force was immediately rushed to the spot after the blast. Television footage showed the fiery wreckage of a vehicle with a large number of police personnel at the scene.
Deputy police chief in Islamabad Sohail Zafar Chattha told reporters that the police spotted a suspicious vehicle with a man and a woman at about 10:15 am on Friday. “When the police stopped the vehicle, the couple came out of the car. The man, while being checked by the officers, went inside the vehicle and then detonated himself,” Chattha said. “It was a suicide attack.”
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed the car bombing, saying it was revenge for the killing of one of their leaders, Abdul Wali, alias Omar Khalid Khorasani.
“We take responsibility for the suicide attack against the enemy of Islam,” TTP said in a statement.
Deputy police chief Chattha said a police officer of the Eagle Squad was killed and six others were injured including two civilians.
The Islamabad Police identified the police officer as Adeel Hussain, a head constable.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the attack while thanking police.
“Law enforcement’s timely intervention averted a bloodbath,” Sharif said in a statement. “Police officers stopped the terrorists by sacrificing their blood and the nation salutes its brave men.”
The interior ministry said the car was packed with explosives and headed for a high-value target in the capital. The ministry gave no further details.
“Had the car reached its target, it would have caused heavy losses,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told a private television channel. The capital was already on high-alert due to threats of such an attack, the minister added.
The Pakistani Taliban has stepped up attacks on security forces since November, when they ended a months-long ceasefire with the Pakistan government.
The car bombing comes days after Pakistani special forces killed 25 suspected TTP-linked militants in a raid on a detention center in Bannu in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The suspected militants detained there had overpowered their guards and taken them hostage.
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