CHARSADDA, April 13: Five officials of Bomb Disposal Squad received injuries while defusing a 500-kilogarm explosive device near Sardaryab here on Wednesday. The injured officials were identified as Arifullah, Ziaratullah, Mohammad Mehmood, Habibullah and Khan Said.

They were trying to defuse a bomb when it went off and injured them. The officials had brought a 500-kilogram explosive device from Peshawar and were trying to defuse it near Sardaryab recreational spot.

The injured were first taken to district headquarters hospital in Charsadda but later shifted to Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar. The blast was so powerful that it was heard in far-off areas of the district.

Meanwhile, police claimed on Wednesday to have arrested four Taliban commanders during a raid in Maskini Darra of Lower Dir district.

Talking to local journalists the station house officer of Mayar police station, Farman Khan, said that a police party raided suspected places in Maskini Darra after receiving information about the presence of Taliban in the area.

He said that four Taliban commanders identified as Nimatullah, Umar Bacha, Saifur Rahman and Abu Bakar were arrested during the raid.