Pakistan: Suicide attack rocks Islamabad, one policeman killed, several injured
What's the story
A suicide bomber reportedly blew himself up in Pakistan's Islamabad on Friday. The incident happened when the police stopped a suspicious-looking vehicle during routine checking. While one policeman lost his life in the attack, several others sustained injuries and were hurried to a hospital nearby. The incident happened in a busy area of the I-10/4 sector, close to a university.
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Here's what Islamabad Police said
In the footage from the blast site, blown remains of a vehicle can be seen surrounded by numerous security personnel. The police also stated that a bigger terror attack might have been prevented. "Head constable Adeel Hussain was martyred in the suicide blast. Due to the timely action of Islamabad Capital Police, the city was saved from a major terrorist attack," the police tweeted.
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Twitter post by Islamabad Police on the blast
خود کش دھماکے میں ہیڈ کانسٹیبل عدیل حسین درجہ شہادت پر فائز ہوگئے۔
— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) December 23, 2022
اسلام آباد کیپیٹل پولیس کی بروقت کارروائی سے شہر دہشتگردی کے بڑے حملے سے محفوظ رہے۔
شھداء اور زخمی جوانوں کو قوم کا سلام۔ pic.twitter.com/EbPkkPPQn1
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More on the late policeman
The police officer who suffered major injuries in the explosion passed away in an Islamabad hospital. News outlet India Today quoted Pakistan sources saying that the late policeman has been identified as Adeel and had stopped the suspicious vehicle in an attempt to arrest the suspect. Meanwhile, no terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
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Visuals from the blast spot
Breaking News: Blast in a suspected cab in #Islamabad’s I-10/4 Sector, leaves 4 policemen hurt. Police was chasing the suspected cab and the blast occurred when was stopped for checking. 3 suspects were reportedly inside the cab. #IslamabadBlast pic.twitter.com/40reDxCVoT
— Islamabad Updates (@IslamabadViews) December 23, 2022
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Deputy Inspector General of Police gives insight
"The officers sought to search the vehicle after they found it suspicious," Sohail Zafar Chattha, Deputy Inspector General of Police, was quoted by The Dawn. "The couple came out of the car and the man, while being checked by the officers, went inside the vehicle again on some pretext and detonated himself," Chattha further added.
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End of truce between government and TTP
The suicide explosion incident comes just a few days after the banned terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off an indefinite ceasefire compromised with the Pakistan government in June this year. The banned terror group stated that the decision to bring an end to the truce was taken after "a series of non-stop attacks were launched by the military organizations" in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.