RECORDER REPORT

PESHAWAR: At least 13 persons were killed and over 50 injured in a suicide attack at District Courts in Mardan while security forces killed four suicide bombers in an encounter in Christian Colony in the suburban locality of the provincial metropolis of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday.

The terrorist attacked District Courts, Mardan by exploding his explosive vest and killed 13 people, including three policemen and three lawyers, and injured over 50 others.

District Police officer Mardan, Faisal Shahzad while talking to journalists confirmed that it was a suicide attack.

He said the attacker was wearing a suicide vest with about 8 kilograms of explosives and his target was apparently the district courts located on Bank Road.

The DPO said that constable Junaid Khan, who was martyred in the attack, spotted the bomber at the entry gate and fired at him, as a result of which the militant detonated his explosive vest at the main gate of district courts.

Provincial Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani told media that the attacker first threw a hand grenade and then he detonated his suicide vest at the entry gate of the district and sessions court that caused casualties.

Those killed have been identified as Police Constables Azam Khan, Ishtaiq Khan and Junaid Khan, lawyers Yousaf Bacha, Inayat Ali and Said Akbar, civilians Muhammad Ayaz, Akhtar Munir, Muhammad Ismail, Khalid Khan and Badr Munir.

The injured were immediately shifted to Mardan Medical Complex and critically injured to Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar where emergency was enforced.

In the first incident, the security forces foiled a terrorists attack on Christian Colony, by killing all four suicide bombers during an exchange of fire. According to an ISPR statement, four suicide bombers entered Christian Colony after targeting a security guard at 05:50am. However, the security forces promptly responded and killed all the terrorists.

A police official said that a civilian identified as Shomail was also killed and two security guards of Wapda - Nadeem, Kud Ali and a constable of Elite Force - Sajjad Khan sustained injuries during the exchange of fire with terrorists.

Meanwhile, KP Governor, Engineer Iqbal Zafar Jhagra strongly denounced attack on Christians Colony and a suicide blast at district courts.