Peshawar: Five people were killed and over 40 people were injured in rocket attacks on Bacha Khan International Airport and nearby areas in Peshawar in Pakistan. The airport was sealed following the attacks.
According to sources, at least three rockets were fired from unknown location at the airport, University Town and another residential neighbourhood at around 9 pm.
Officials were quoted by TV news channels as saying that the rockets were fired from the tribal areas adjoining Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The blasts were followed by intense firing, and security
forces returned fire, officials said.
Four of the wounded were in critical condition and were mistakenly included among the dead shortly after the attack, said Umar Ayub, a senior official of Khyber Teaching Hospital.
Children, women and senior citizens were among the injured, all of whom were civilians. They were injured by shrapnel from the rockets and bullets, Ayub said.
The army cordoned off the airport as all flights were cancelled and troops conducted an operation to ascertain if any militants had entered the airport.
TV channels reported that troops were exchanging fire with suspected militants almost 40 minutes after the rockets were fired at the airport. No group claimed responsibility for the incident though such attacks are usually blamed on the Pakistani Taliban.
(With additional information from PTI)
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