At least three people including two tribal elders were killed and two others injured on Saturday in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the Arang area of Bajaur agency. According to security sources, tribal elders Malik Dawakhan and Haji Kareem died in the blast as the IED targeted their vehicle. Initially, three others were injured however one of them succumbed to injuries in the hospital. A search operation in the area to apprehend suspects is under way.
Earlier this year, a pro-government tribal elder was killed in a remote-controlled IED blast in Bajaur's Bar Kamar area. According to sources, tribal elder Malak Muhammad Jan was on his way to the Khar area when an IED planted on the roadside went off. The pro-government tribal elder and five of his companions had died in the blast while the vehicle they were travelling in was also severely damaged.
Bajaur is one of the seven districts in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt near the Afghan border, where militants are said to have held strongholds. An extremist insurgency led by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) plagues the region and the area is known to be infested with militants, including those from al Qaeda and other armed extremist organisations. Several attacks on polio workers, peace committee members and suicide bombings have taken place in the tribal region in the past few years.
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