ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR, Jan 19:
Twenty paramilitary troops were killed and 30 others injured today in a bomb attack by the Taliban inside a cantonment in Pakistan’s restive northwest, prompting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to cancel his visit to Switzerland.
The army retaliated by shelling suspected militant hideouts in the area. The Pakistani Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack, issued a statement saying it was ready for talks with the Government.
The blast ripped through a private van hired by the Frontier Corps to take troops from Bannu in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province to North Waziristan tribal region, a safe haven for Taliban and Al Qaeda elements.
“Twenty security personnel (were killed) and 30 others were injured in a vehicle-borne IED attack in Bannu cantonment today,” the military’s media arm said in a statement.
The explosion occurred at 8.45 am (Pakistan time) when the van was parked at a Parade Ground in the cantonment. “Frontier Corps troops were sitting inside the vehicle and lined up for move to North Waziristan Agency,” the statement said.
Military sources said six bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. “DNA tests are being carried out to identify them. Fifteen injured in a very critical condition were shifted to a military hospital in Peshawar by helicopter,” a source said.
Earlier reports said 22 troops were killed but the military confirmed 20 deaths.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said Sharif had cancelled his visit to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum in the wake of a spike in terror attacks, including the incident in Bannu.
“Our nation is united against extremism and terrorism and the sacrifices rendered by our citizens and personnel of law enforcing agencies will not go in vain,” Sharif said. Earlier, he strongly condemned the attack.
Shahidullah Shahid, spokesman for the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, said in a statement his group carried out the attack to avenge the killing of its leaders.
At the same time, he said the Taliban were ready for talks with the Government. “Our stance about the dialogue is very clear. If the Government proves its power and sincerity, we are ready for meaningful talks despite our great losses.”
Referring to the issue of a possible ceasefire if peace talks are initiated, Shahid said this would depend on the Government as it had “started the war and sent troops to the tribal regions at the behest of the US”.
He said, “The Government should now declare ceasefire as it will have to create an conducive atmosphere for talks. We can also review our operations if the Government takes some confidence-building measures.”
However, security experts viewed the Taliban’s offer as an attempt to stall any military action in the area.
Bannu, which stands at the gateway to the semi-autonomous Waziristan tribal region, is 150 km southwest of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa capital Peshawar.
The town has witnessed several attacks and was the scene of a massive jailbreak in April 2012, during which 384 prisoners, including dozens of hardened militants, escaped from a central prison.
President Mamnoon Hussain too strongly condemned the attack in Bannu cantonment, saying such cowardly assaults could never weaken the resolve of law enforcing authorities and the people to continue pursuing their struggle against militancy and terrorism. (PTI)
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