Suicide blast kills senior policeman in NW Pakistan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - A senior police officer and his bodyguard were killed, and five others injured in a suicide bombing in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Friday morning, a police official said.

The suspected suicide bomber, who was on a motorbike, targeted the vehicle of Muhammad Ashraf Noor, killing him and his bodyguard on the spot, Peshawar Police Chief Tahir Khan told Anadolu Agency on the phone.

The injured five have been taken to Hayatabad Medical Complex, Rescue 1122 spokesman Bilal Ahmed said.

Following the explosion, security forces cordoned off the area and launched an operation in Hayatabad and adjacent areas.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. However, Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for previous attacks in the city.

Peshawar city borders Khyber Agency which was once a stronghold of Pakistani militants. The area was cleared after a military operation in July this year and Pakistan army says hundreds of militants fled to the border areas of Afghanistan.

Pakistani authorities claimed that those who fled from the Pakistani tribal areas established hideouts in Kunar, Noristan and Nangrahar provinces of Afghanistan, from where they carry out attacks in Pakistan.