Bajaur:the death toll from the suicide blast that ripped through a political convention of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam in Khar area of Bajaur yesterday rose to 54 on Monday. “The death toll from the deadly suicide attack that earlier killed 44 people has climbed to 54,” said CTD Additional IG Shaukat Abbas. He said that 83 people got injured in the attack, adding that condition of several wounded was critical.
He said that the JUI convention was started at 2pm while the explosion hit the assembly at 4:10pm. He said that the investigation agencies collected ball bearings from the crime scene, adding that 10-12kg of explosive material was used in the explosion. Mr Abbas said that according to preliminary investigation, it was a suicide attack and the security agencies have identified the group behind this attack. We have reached near the culprits, he added. He said that the investigation agencies have collected lots of evidence from the crime scene. He said we are waiting for forensic reports.
Meanwhile, an FIR of the Khar blast was registered at the CTD police station in Bajaur. According to details, an unknown assailant has been named in the FIR, filed on the complaint of SHO Khar Niaz Muhammad. Terrorism, murder, attempt to murder and other provisions have been added to the blast case. The inquiry team investigating the blast visited the site of the incident. In this regard, SP CTD Amjad Khan told that the investigation team collected evidence from the crime scene. He said that the investigation team has also recorded the statements of the injured. Amjad Khan further said that the geofencing process has also been completed at the crime scene.
Police on Monday combed through the bloody wreckage of a suicide blast that killed at least 45 people at JUI’s gathering ahead of elections due later this year. Around 400 members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) – a key government coalition partner led by a firebrand cleric – were waiting for speeches to begin when the attacker detonated his vest near the front stage. The attack occurred in the town of Khar in the northwestern Bajaur district, just 45 kilometres from the Afghan border, in an area where militancy has been rising since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021.
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