Peshawar, Nov 13: At least seven people were killed and 35 others injured on Friday when a powerful explosion ripped through the headquarters of Pak intelligence agency ISI within the cantonment in Peshawar city, in the latest in a series of terrorist attacks across Pakistan.
District administration chief Shahibzada Anees told reporters that five bodies and 30 injured people had been taken to the Lady Reading Hospital and a military hospital after the attack at 6.40 am.
The intelligence agency office that was targeted is located on Khyber Road within the cantonment.
Witnesses said the office was attacked with a car bomb though it could not be ascertained if the explosives were detonated by a suicide bomber or remote control.
Witnesses also said the blast was preceded by firing.
The powerful blast, which was heard from over 20 km away, destroyed part of the intelligence agency office.
Police immediately sealed off Khyber Road, one of Peshawar’s main thoroughfares, as investigators scoured the site of the explosion for clues. Nearby schools were closed and security forces cordoned off the area.
Peshawar has witnessed some of the worst of the recent wave of suicide attacks and bombings across Pakistan.
Last month, nearly 120 people were killed when a commercial hub in the city was targeted with a car bomb.
–Agencies