One killed, 18 injured in Mardan suicide blast

Jamaatul Ahrar claims responsibility

MARDAN: A suicide bomber ripped through a gathering of people at the Excise and Taxation Office here on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring 18 others, police said.

District Police Officer Faisal Shahzad told reporters at the blast site that the bomber first fired shots at the main gate of the office in Ganj Bazaar before detonating his explosive vest at about 12pm. He said eight to 10 kilograms of explosives were used in the attack.

The casualties figure remained low because people ran away after hearing gunshots for safety, the DPO said, adding that no prior information had been given about the attack.The injured were shifted to Mardan and Peshawar hospitals while Naik Zaman, s/o Mir Zaman, a resident of village Dhagi, Nowshera, died in a local hospital. Some of the injured were in critical condition, he said.

The identity of the remaining victims could not be ascertained. The police cordoned off the area and started investigations.A Pakistani Taliban group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Jamaatul Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack. “Our bomber has carried out the attack,” Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesman for the group, said while talking to the local media on phone.

The spokesperson also claimed the killing of a security official in Bajaur on Tuesday.President Mamnoon Hussain has condemned the attack. In a message, he said the country’s armed forces and law-enforcement agencies would continue operations till elimination of terrorists. He expressed grief over the loss and prayed to Allah Almighty to bless the departed soul.

Khyber Pakthunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra condemned the suicide explosion and directed hospital administrations to provide best medical facilities to the injured. The governor said such coward attacks could not deter the determination of the nation in the fight against terrorism. He said the perpetrators and facilitators of the attack could not escape the law and would be punished.

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also condemned the attack. In a statement, he said terrorism was a monster and needed combined efforts to eliminate this evil from the country. He expressed sympathies and solidarity with the victims and asked the KP government for immediate and better treatment of the injured. PPP Women Wing President Faryal Talpur condemned the attack and expressed sympathies with the victim families and prayed for early recovery of the injured.