Girls’ school blown up in Mardan

MARDAN/GHALANAI: Militants blew up a government school in Mardan district and attacked several checkposts in Mohmand Agency on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sabir Gul, the SHO of Jabbar police station in Mardan, told Dawn that unidentified militants had planted explosives in a room of Government Girls Higher Secondary School Sawldher that went off at 1:25am with a big bang.

“I along with other police officials was on routine patrolling of the area when the explosion occurred,” he said, adding that they rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area.

He said that the blast completely destroyed two rooms and a veranda while boundary wall and two other rooms of the school building were partially damaged.

However, the explosion caused no loss of human life as the school was empty at the time of the blast. “We launched a search operation soon after the explosion in the surrounding areas and arrested several suspected persons,” Mr Gul said.

According to officials of Bomb Disposal Unit, 14 to 15 kilograms of explosives were used in the explosion.

It is pertinent to mention here that a week ago the main gate and wall of a government middle school for girls in Gujrat Bashkhali area were partially damaged in a blast.

Meanwhile, militants attacked several checkposts in Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to sources, militants used light weapons to attack the checkposts in Karir, Dwajangi, Qayumabad and Hashim Kor areas of Safi tehsil.

Security forces retaliated and targeted suspected positions in the area along the border. No report of casualty was received from the area.

In another incident, a tribesman was injured when a stray shell hit a house in the Safi tehsil during the night. The injured, identified as Jamil, was shifted to Peshawar in critical condition.

Source: Dawn

Date:8/25/2011