Four security personnel killed in three blasts in NW Pakistan

By APD writer Muhammad Sohail

**ISLAMABAD, Oct. 15 (APD) ** -- At least four security personnel, including an officer, were killed and three others injured in three different blasts in the northwest region of Pakistan on Sunday, security forces sources said.

According to the sources from security forces, the incidents took place when a three low-intensity blasts hit personnel of Frontier Corps (FC) during a search operation Kharlachi area of Kurram Agency, the country’s northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

Security forces and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the bodies and injured personnel to the hospital.

The first blast occurred when a bomb disposal squad team was conducting a routine search in the area.

Two other explosives went off in the area after the first blast as security forces reached the site to aid in a rescue operation.

The bomb disposal squad said that all the explosions were carried with the Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs).

Following the blasts, security officials cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

Kurram is one of the most sensitive tribal areas of Pakistan as it borders three Afghan provinces and at one point was one of the key routes for militant movement across the border.

The region was claimed by the military to have been cleared of insurgents during an operation a few years ago. However, militants still managed to carry out attacks and also target security forces occasionally.

The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, a banned terrorist organization, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)