GHALLANAI: The death toll from a Taliban suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Mohmand rose to 36 on Saturday, as two more people succumb to their injuries and six bodies dug out from the rubble.
Friday’s attack targeted a mosque in the tribal district bordering Afghanistan where the army has been fighting the militants.
“Two more injured people died of their wounds early today,” deputy chief of Mohmand tribal district administration Naveed Akbar told AFP, while at least six bodies were also recovered from the rubble of the blast site. A curfew remained enforced in Anbar and Pandyali tehsils, as relatives laid to rest their near and dear ones in various parts of the tribal region.
People remained confined to their houses during the curfew, while journalists too were barred from visiting the crime scene.
Gloom prevailed in the tribal region, which in the past had also suffered terror hits and saw the launch of a military operation against militants, who still seem to have the ability to strike at will. Taliban faction Jamaatul Ahrar (JuA) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out to avenge the deaths of 13 of its members and arrests of others by a local vigilante force in 2009.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, during a visit to Anbar, expressed the determination to go after the extremists involved in heinous acts of terrorism.
Addressing a jirga (tribal council meeting) at Payee Khan village in Anbar, he announced to provide jobs to the heirs of each deceased and free medical facilities to the injured.
The governor offered fateha for the slain persons and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured.
He also distributed cheques worth Rs 400,000 each among the family members of those dead, while an amount of Rs 150,000 was given to each injured.
Later, the governor went to the Agency Headquarters Hospital in Khar in Bajaur Agency to enquire after the health of the injured.
Responding to the points raised by the local elders, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra announced to take steps for construction of a primary school and a link road in Payee Khan village.
Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Hidayatur Rehman also visited the Agency Headquarters Hospital to enquire after the health of the injured tribesmen. The corps commander presented bouquets and fruits to the injured and prayed for their speedy recovery.
It may be mentioned here that since 2007 the government has encouraged vigilante forces comprising tribesmen – locally known as peace committees – to defend their villages against the Taliban. Pakistan’s deadliest ever attack occurred in Peshawar in December 2014, when militants stormed a school killing more than 150 people, mostly children.
The army launched an operation in June 2014 in a bid to wipe out militant bases in the northwestern tribal areas and so bring an end to the bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives since 2004.
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