Soldier slain in suicide attack on FC training centre near Charsadda
At least one Frontier Constabulary (FC) soldier was slain and another injured in a suicide attack on an FC training centre in Charsadda's Shabqadar area, the military's media wing said.
The Inter-Services Public Relations said the attack was "foiled" and two suicide bombers were killed in retaliatory fire.
During the exchange of fire with the suicide attackers, one FC personnel lost his life and another was injured, it added.
Later in the day, FC Commandant Liaqat Ali Khan addressed a press conference after attending the funeral of the FC personnel killed in the early morning attack.
The attackers tried to sneak into the training facility in the wee hours of Friday to “cause maximum casualties,” said the FC commandant, “but the guards quickly responded and neutralised the attackers”.
Khan said one attacker was killed by FC personnel while the other died after his jacket exploded when it was hit by gunfire.
The FC commandant said they had received threat alerts, owing to which they were vigilant throughout the night and had ordered search parties to investigate the alerts.
The remains of one suicide bomber are beyond recognition, whereas the other attacker's limb has been recovered from the site, he added.
He went on to appreciate the FC and military’s response to the situation, who reached the area "within no time" of the incident.
“Two officers were also wounded in the shootout, but are now in a stable condition,” he added.
Last month, security forces had killed three suicide attackers who attempted to wreak havoc at a local court in Charsadda.
DSP Charsadda Fayaz Khan said five civilians were killed in the attack, claimed by the proscribed Jamaat-ul-Ahraar (JuA).
The attack came amid heightened security across KP and the country after a recent wave of terror.
Charsadda is at a nearly 40-minute drive from KP’s provincial capital Peshawar, and has been a target of terror attacks for nearly a decade.
A suicide bomber had struck a local court in Charsadda's Shabqadar area last year in March, killing 17 people. That attack too was claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahraar.
In January 2016, militants had attacked the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda and shot dead 21 people.
Also read: Fear and panic in Peshawar amid high alert
Resurgence in terror attacks
Pakistan is experiencing a fresh resurgence in terror attacks.
Over 100 people have been killed in recent terror attacks in Sindh, Balochistan, KP, Fata and Punjab.
On Feb 13, a suicide blast on Lahore's Mall road saw 13 people dead and 85 injured. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility.
Read more: Senior police officers among 13 killed as suicide bomber strikes Lahore
In another incident on Feb 13, two Bomb Disposal Squad personnel were killed in Quetta while trying to defuse a roadside bomb at Sariab road.
On Feb 15, five people lost their lives in a suicide blast outside a government office in Mohmand Agency. JuA had claimed the responsibility for the attack.
In a separate suicide attack on Feb 15, one person died as a suicide attacker targeted a judges' vehicle in Peshawar. TTP claimed the attack.
Know more: Suicide bomber targets Peshawar judges' vehicle; driver killed
On Feb 16, in what is said to be the worst attack in the recent surge of terrorism, a suicide attack on the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Shrine in Sehwan saw over 85 people dead while more than 200 were injured. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the militant Islamic State (IS) group.
The same day, on Feb 16, an IED blast in Awaran, Balochistan left three security officials dead.