LANDI KOTAL, Nov 2: Law enforcement agencies defused four bombs in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday while one targeted at a tribal elder went off in Khyber Agency injuring at least 12 persons.

Sources in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency said that a time device, planted in a car, that exploded near Wazir Dhand checkpost was targeted at the local tribal elder Malik Taj who was to pass through the checkpost on his way home.

Family sources said that Malik Taj was among the injured and his vehicle was badly damaged. Nine other cars parked in a nearby taxi stand were also damaged.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the bomb attack.

Meanwhile, the security forces have arrested three suspected militants in Ali Masjid area of Jamrud. The arrested persons were identified as Hafeez, Juma Baz and Nama Jan. They were shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

In Peshawar, police defused a powerful improvised explosive device planted near a CD shop at Board Bazaar.

SP Dr Mian Saeed Ahmed said that unidentified terrorists had planted a time bomb to blow up a music-com-CD centre but police foiled the attempt.

An official of the Bomb Disposal Unit said that it was a time bomb, weighing about three kilograms. He said that law enforcers also recovered batteries and other relevant items from the spot.

A case against unidentified terrorists was registered at the Town police station and efforts were underway to arrest the accused, police said.In Mardan, police claimed to have recovered two bombs from two different places in the city.

Officials of Hoti police station said that they were informed by locals that a suspicious bag was lying on a bridge, Shugo Pul. Police rushed to the area and recovered explosives from the bag. The explosives were later defused by bomb disposal squad.

Police also recovered another 10-kilogram bomb, planted near the tower of a cellular phone company, on Mardan Bypass Road.

The watchman of the tower informed police about the presence of explosives. Police said that they arrested three suspected persons from the area.

Both the City and Hoti police stations registered cases against unidentified persons and started search operations in their respective areas to arrest the accused.

In Mansehra, police defused an explosive device planted on Torghar-Thakot road near Shalay area.

The driver of an excavator, who was removing rocks and boulders from the road, saw the bomb and informed police. Police called security forces to defuse the device.

Police said that the bomb planted on the roadside weighed 12 kilograms and could cause huge losses.

Five policemen had been killed in a blast in the same area on October 1.

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