Peshawar: Seven persons, including a lawyer, were killed and 21 others injured on Tuesday when heavily-armed Taliban suicide bombers stormed a court in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the latest terror attack in the country.
The attackers opened fire and threw grenades as they attempted to enter the sessions court premises in Tangi, some 30 km away from the provincial capital Peshawar, prompting retaliatory fire by the security forces.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack. “Bomb disposal experts said each bomber was wearing seven to eight kilogrammes of explosives,” Sohail Khalid, district police chief, told reporters.
One bomber was killed in the firing at the gate and the second was killed as he entered the court. The third bomber died when he detonated his explosives, officials said. Charsadda has been a target of terror attacks for nearly a decade.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack in a statement issued by his office. “We are a steadfast nation and will not be deterred by such attacks. Our government will continue to fight against terrorists and we will succeed,” the statement said.
Eyewitnesses said the remains of the bombers were lying on the roadside along with their explosives and ammunition. The attack came as security has been tightened across Pakistan after a wave of terrorist strikes.
