Pindi blast kills 6 army personnel, 7 civilians

At least 13 people including six army personnel were killed and many feared injured in a bomb blast near the RA Bazaar in Rawalpindi on Monday.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack that targeted a joint check post of the police and the Pakistan Army.
“We will continue attacks on the government and its armed forces as the government has neither announced ceasefire nor peace talks with us,” said TTP spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid. The 10 kilogram bomb exploded in front of the National Logistics Cell building near the General Headquarters of the Pakistan military and the RA police station.
The market, a short walk from the army headquarters in Rawalpindi is in one of the most secure areas of the city, said Police Chief Akhtar Hayat Lalika.
Potohar Superintendent of Police (SP) said in the attack six army personnel and seven civilians lost their lives.
According to SSP Operations, the suicide bomber was between 18 and 20 years of age. Eye witnesses said that the attacker was on a motorcycle.
The injured were taken to nearby hospitals and most of them were said to be in a critical condition.
Also, the injured included mostly civil staff of security agencies and school-going children. The news of the blast led to parents rushing to schools near the site to inquire about the children’s safety.
Security forces had cordoned off the location of the blast.
According to initial reports, it was suspected that the blast could have been a suicide attack.
Shahidullah Shahid said that the group had carried out the attack in Rawalpindi, adding that it was in response to the on-going military operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and the killing of the militant leader Waliur Rehman.
Moreover, police had started investigation and was searching for evidence from the spot where the explosion took place and a search operation was also launched in the adjoining areas. The death toll is feared to rise.
The blast occurred one day after an attack on a convoy of security forces near the Cantt area in Bannu district, which killed 20 people and injured 30. This attack was also claimed by the TTP with its spokesman saying the group’s onslaught on security forces would continue.

Source: PakistanToday