2 killed, 8 injured in Islamabad suicide attack

Two people including a policeman were killed and eight others injured in a suicide bombing attack here on Friday morning, hospital sources said, reported Xinhua.

Khalid Masood, the spokesperson of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, where all the injured people were shifted to, told Xinhua that the injured included four policemen and four civilians.

According to sources from the Islamabad police, security in the capital was on high alert after a threat alert of bombing in the premises of the capital by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was issued by the authorities.

The sources said that in the wake of the recent surge of terrorism in the country, the capital police were vigilant and cautiously checking all vehicles entering Islamabad.

Friday morning incident happened in sector I/10-4, located at the border of Islamabad and the neighboring city Rawalpindi, near a crowded wholesale vegetable and fruit market of the capital which thousands of vendors from the twin cities visit every day.

In a statement, the Islamabad Police said that during routine checking in the area, a car was stopped by the police, and to avoid checking, the suicide bomber blew himself up.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Sohail Zafar Chattha told the media that there were a man and a woman in the vehicle when the explosion happened.

In a conversation with Xinhua, an eyewitness residing near the blast site said that he saw the woman arguing with the police after getting out of the car to avoid checking the vehicle, but the slain policeman was insistent on searching the vehicle.

"When the policeman proceeded to the car to check it, the man accompanying the woman detonated his explosive vest," the eyewitness said, adding that fire erupted in the vehicle following the explosion, killing and injuring policemen and bystanders.

The Islamabad police issued orders to red alert security in the capital after the incident happened and directed the public to keep necessary identification documents while traveling.

Speaking to the media, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said that both terrorists were killed in the explosion, adding that the attackers were heading for a high-value target in Islamabad.

In a statement, the TTP claimed responsibility for the attack and threatened to carry out more such attacks in the future.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the attack and paid tribute to the police for showing valor against the terrorists.