PESHAWAR: At least three security personnel were killed and two others injured in a suicide attack at a paramilitary force headquarters on Monday in Pakistan’s Peshawar, according to a senior police official.
Three suicide bombers, who attempted to storm the Federal Constabulary (FC) headquarters, were also killed in counterfiring, City Police Chief Mian Saeed said.
“One attacker detonated himself at the main gate, while the other two entered the premises. FC personnel engaged them and both were killed on the spot,” Saeed added.
"Two suicide explosions took place inside the FC headquarters, one at the main gate and the other near the motorcycle stand located within the premises," Inspector General of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Zulfiqar Hameed said.
The powerful blast at the main gate triggered panic in the surrounding residential and commercial areas, with the explosion heard from a considerable distance.
Additional contingents and rescue teams rushed to the site, and security across the area was placed on high alert, officials said.
According to hospital officials, five people, including three civilians, were injured in the attack.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has strongly condemned the terrorist attack while reiterating that the provincial government "stands firmly" with the police and all law enforcement agencies.
The civilian paramilitary force, originally called the Frontier Constabulary, was renamed by the government as Federal Constabulary in July. The headquarters of the force is located in a crowded area, close to a military cantonment, Dawn reported.