PESHAWAR: Further details have emerged about the horrific attack in Tank in which seven police officers were martyred. Tehreek-i-Taliban has also released a video of the attack.
According to security sources, militants used 60 to 70 kilograms of explosives and detonated it via a command wire instead of remote control. Police officials told this correspondent that the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) involved in the incident was not designed to withstand IED attacks and was destroyed. Police sources said that due to the heavy amount of explosives, the officers travelling in the armoured vehicle had no chance of survival.
Officials said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have B6 and B7 level APCs, which are only effective against small arms, but are not capable of withstanding heavy IED blasts. They added that no APC can fully withstand an explosion of this magnitude.
Investigations indicate that the explosive device was installed in the middle of an under construction road, which made timely detection impossible. Security sources said that the attackers demonstrated expertise by detonating the bomb via command wire, a method considered effective for bypassing electronic surveillance and counter measures.
Sources noted that under construction and unpaved roads further assisted in IED placement. Gomal Road is also under construction, and stones on the road were removed to place explosives. Security sources said had the road been fully constructed, the explosives would have been placed at the roadside, which could have reduced the severity of damage.
