At least three people were killed when Pakistan's paramilitary force headquarters in Peshawar was attacked by gunmen on Monday, according to a Reuters report.
“The FC headquarters is under attack. We are responding and the area is being cordoned off,” Pakistani news outlet Dawn quoted police officer Mian Saeed Ahmad saying .“Several explosions have taken place in the area,” the official said, adding that “the area is being cordoned off.”
According to Dawn, the Jamatul Ahrar faction of banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Security sources said that a suicide bomber had blown himself up at the FC headquarters gate. They said that firing was also heard after the blast. They added that two militants had been killed and security forces had cordoned off the area.
The headquarters of the force is located in a crowded area, close to a military cantonment.
According to social media reports, the attack on the Frontier Corps headquarters reportedly took place after two blasts were heard in the area. "The first suicide bomber first carried out an attack on the main entrance of the constabulary and the other one entered the compound," a senior official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Peshawar Police Chief Saeed Ahmad, meanwhile, told the Associate Press that a large number of security personnel were on open ground inside the headquarters for morning parade drills when the attack took place.
“The terrorists involved in today’s attack were on foot and failed to reach the parade area and a timely response by our forces prevented a much larger tragedy,” he said.
Earlier this year, at least ten people died and several were injured after a powerful car bomb detonated outside the paramilitary headquarters in Quetta.
On November 11, a suicide bomber targeted a police vehicle outside the district court in Islamabad, killing 12 people and injuring 27
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or one of its factions, claimed the attack, demanding the implementation of Islamic law.
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