Large explosion at DCO office, Hangu

[Zeluvaa]

The toll has gone up to 25 now!!!

Suicide car bomb kills 25 in Hangu

What the hell is going on over there! This seems like a major intelligence and security failure!

RIP to the deceased!

 

[Bond]

HANGU: A suicide car bomber rammed his explosive laden vehicle in to a police check point out side the DCO office in Hangu killing at least 26 people and injuring more than 36 people.

According to Police Deputy Inspector General Masood Khan Afridi the bomber, in a double cabin vehicle, could not reach his intended destination and had detonated at the police check point outside the office. However the intensity of blast caused extensive damage to the DCO office and other surrounding buildings on the Hangu-Kohat link road.

The blast created a crater eight feet wide and five feet deep destroying the DCO and DPO offices completely along with at least 25 shops in the vicinity. Structures located almost a kilometer away also suffered damage from the shockwave.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out to avenge the death of Osama bin Laden.

Bomb squad personnel had reached the area and confirmed that at least 450 kilogram of explosives were used in the blast. A blast on the CID office in Peshawar on May 25 was carried out with 350 kilogram of explosives.

Express 24/7 correspondent, Iftikhar Firdous said that rescue efforts were underway to locate injured buried in the rubble. Heavy machinery, and flood lights had arrived to help clear out the rubble.

He added that unconfirmed figures had put the death toll closer to 34 people, including three police men, while those injured were more than 40. The injured were being shifted to Kohat and Peshawar where emergency had been declared in hospitals.

DCO Hangu, Muhammad Siddiqui speaking to Express 24/7 put the toll at 26 people killed and 36 injured. He added that no specific threats had been made towards him.

The DCO office and nearby buildings including the DPO office, courts, banks were destroyed. Police has now cordoned off the area.

Regional police spokesman said that “it was a car suicide attack targeting a nearby city police station. He wanted to blow up the city police station but he blew up the car close to the barrier outside the station”.

At the time of the explosion, a large number of people were in the area, which includes sensitive installations, courts, as well as a local bazaar. Buildings in the area have been damaged in the blast shock-wave.

The area is frequented by shoppers and commuters who use the road to travel to their respective villages.

Emergency has been declared in all local hospitals. Eye witnesses report high casualty figures. Electric power to the area had also been suspended.

Pakistan has seen a dramatic increase in the scale and number of militant attacks since Osama bin laden was killed by US forces in a garrison town this month.

 

[StormShadow]

ISLAMABAD, May 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 25 people including an unknown number of policemen were killed and over 50 others injured in a suicide car bomb attack that took place Thursday evening in Pakistan's northwest city of Hangu, some 70 kilometers southwest of Peshawar, reported local Urdu TV channel Samaa.

According to sources of Xinhua in the city and local media reports, the blast took place at about 18:15 p.m. local time near a district police officer's building on the Kohat road of the city, where a lot of police and government buildings are located.

The office of the district police officer was damaged in the blast, said the local media reports, but it is not known whether the district police officer was hurt or not.

Most of the people killed in the blast are police, said hospital sources. Sources of Xinhua in the city said at least ten policemen were killed.

An estimated 15 shops nearby the blast site were damaged, said the local media reports, adding that one small hotel where many police are said to be eating inside was completely destroyed and six shops surrounding the hotel also collapsed following the blast.

Many people are feared buried under the collapsed buildings, said rescue team members.

An estimated 450 kg of explosives were used in the blast, said police sources.

According to local media report, Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the suicide car bomb attack to avenge the killing of the al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden by the U.S. forces in Pakistan early this month.

25 killed, over 50 injured in suicide car blast in Hangu, NW Pakistan

 

[P. CHidambaram]

RIP. Sad news indeed. Pakistan is fighting for its existence now.

 

[Wounded-Monk]

RIP the dead..

 

[Musafar]

They don't seem to be running out of suicide bombers anytime soon and every month they pull off a spectacular that hits the international headlines, this month was mehran pns what's next?

Time for negotiations by REAL talkers and doers.

The scorched earth approach has failed.

 

[DelhiDareDevil]

This is horrible and needs to stop RIP.

 

[Musafar]

The toll has gone up to 25 now!!!

Suicide car bomb kills 25 in Hangu

What the hell is going on over there! This seems like a major intelligence and security failure!

RIP to the deceased!

why call it a failure, when has there even been a security success? Never. With failures comes accountability. This doesn't exist in Pakistan as we haven't seen ONE person of authority either be sacked or resign, have we? Not even after the biggest failure of the last decade (unilateral US raid in abbotabad). So please don't call it a failure as it actually means someone was trying which is not the case. Everything is reactionary. Typical ISPR statement will soon follow with the same buzz words...'miscreants killed', 'tip off', 'hideouts bombed'. Sometimes I wonder if they just copy and paste the same rubbish and think it will pass the sniff test and ease those concerned?

I hate to bring politics into this, but I really believe that with zardari at the helm, who has no vision or direction to steer Pakistan and with such a pro US COAS we are putting ourselves between a rock and a hard place. We have a distrustful ally and an internal insurgency that is squeezing us from within. At times like these leaders should lead and not count their paychecks in their mansions.

 

[Maritimer]

RIP to the dead. The security forces are increasingly becoming easy targets for the terrorists.

 

[humanfirst]

They are claiming every attack after abottabad incident as revenge for killing osama..What had these 25+ dead people to do with osama?Americans killed that arab osama and these pakistanis are taking revenge to that by killing their own brethren!What a crazy world!

 

[Kinetic]

25 people dead and most of them were polices!!!!! This is an extremely large explosion. RIP to the dead.

 

[Hammy007]

from here

you are one of the dumbest elite members out here

nuf said

 

[Hammy007]

RIP. Sad news indeed. Pakistan is fighting for its existence now.

yeah soon will cease to exist, go and celebrate diwali now, mission acomplished

 

[indian dream]

KOHAT: At least 28 people, four policemen among them, were killed and 55 injured when a suicide bomber exploded his vehicle at a checkpoint in Hangu bazaar on Thursday.

Police said the death toll could rise because the condition of 13 injured people admitted to the Hangu district headquarters hospital was critical.

Three of the dead policemen have been identified as Constables Tanveer, Kahandan and Falaknaz.

Officials said the pick-up was laden with 450kg of explosives. It was detonated by the bomber as soon as he reached the police post.

The nearby official residence of the district coordination officer, offices of the Hangu police chief and the special branch, the city police station, 17 shops, three restaurants, buildings of district courts and a branch of the National Bank were severely damaged.

The attack took place at about 6pm and the vehicle also carried rockets and grenades, adding to the devastation.

Bomb disposal personnel said the engine of the vehicle and some parts of the bomber’s body had been found.

Hangu SP (Investigation) Iftikhar Ahmed said the pick-up came from the western side, using unfrequented routes to evade several checkpoints on the road to Kurram Agency.

He said it was impossible to keep an eye on the movement of every militant and vehicle along the two tribal agencies located close to the area as there were dozens of mountainous and other routes to enter Hangu.

The explosion flattened a market and several other buildings.

The official said two policemen were missing and could be among the unrecognisable bodies.

An official in the Hangu special branch said the explosion had shaken their building and they were working in darkness.

A Taliban spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, called journalists to claim responsibility for the attack.

According to sources, the lower parts of Kurram and Orakzai Agencies are infested with militants of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who are involved in killings and kidnappings of tribesmen on the Thall-Parachinar highway. The Pakistani Taliban’s Hakeemullah Mehsud, Noor Jamal alias Toofan Mullah, Hafiz Saeed and Qari Ziaur Rehman use the area as a launching pad for their attacks.

Recently, the Haqqani group of Afghanistan has also begun using Kurram Agency as an alternative base because of drone attacks in North Waziristan.

Terror strike in Hangu claims 28 lives | Newspaper | DAWN.COM

 

[indian dream]

ISLAMABAD, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of a suicide car bomb attack Thursday evening in Pakistan's northwest city of Hangu has risen to 36, reported The News on Friday.

According to the report, among the people killed in the blast there were ten police and over 50 others were also injured in the blast, some of whom are said to be still in critical condition.

The attack came at about 18:15 p.m. local time near a district police officer's office at the Hangu-Kohat link road in the city.

The office of the district police officer was partially damaged but the district police officer escaped the attack.

An estimated 15 shops were damaged during the blast. One small hotel near the blast site, in which many police are said to be eating inside, were completely destroyed and six shops surrounding the hotel collapsed following the blast.

Bomb disposal squad said an estimated 450 explosives were used in the blast.

Pakistan Taliban claimed the responsibility for the attack, which is mainly aimed at avenging the killing of the al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden by the U.S. forces in Pakistan early this month.

Suicide bomb toll in Hangu of Pakistan rises to 36