Suicide bombers attacked a court complex in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least six people, police said.

A spokesperson for the Pakistan Taliban Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction claimed responsibility for the attack in town of Tangi in the district of Charsadda.

At least six people were killed and 15 wounded in Tuesday's attack, according to police and hospital officials at the Tangi government hospital where the wounded are being treated.

Three suicide attackers attempted to attack the court, but as they exploded their vests, they were shot dead at the gate, another police official, Sabz Ali, told Al Jazeera.

Police sources said a search operation was launched in the area following the blast. That search has now been completed and the area was deemed clear.

A wave of recent attacks has gripped Pakistan. Over the past 10 days, a string of bombings has killed more than 100 people.

In one of the attacks last week, dozens of worshippers gathered at a famed Sufi shrine were killed when an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group's suicide bomber walked into the shrine's main hall in the southern Sindh province and detonated his explosives. The death toll from that attack has since risen to 90.

The shrine bombing prompted a countrywide crackdown by security forces targeting armed groups and their hideouts.</s>Suicide bombers attacked a court complex in Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least four people, officials said, in the latest incident in a new surge of Islamist violence. A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban's Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction claimed responsibility for the attack in the northwestern town of Charsadda.

Start the conversation, or Read more at South China Morning Post.</s>Suicide bombers attacked a court complex in Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least four people, officials said, in the latest incident in a new surge of Islamist violence.A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban's Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction claimed responsibility for the attack in the northwestern town of Charsadda.The district administration said at least four people were killed. A witness told Reuters he had seen "many" dead bodies at the scene.A string of bombings in Pakistan over the past 10 days has killed more than 100 people.Town resident Mohammad Shah Baz told Reuters he was inside the judicial complex when the suicide bombers stormed it."I escaped towards the canteen and climbed the wall to save my life. But there were many people dead and injured," he said.District police chief Sohail Khalid said at least one of the attackers blew himself up and another opened fire at the main entrance of the court compound before they were shot and killed.Jamaat-ur-Ahrar spokesman Asad Mansoor claimed responsibility the attack in a message to journalists. He said fighting was still going on at the court.</s>PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A group of suicide bombers struck outside a courthouse in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing five people in an attack claimed by a Taliban splinter group.

The attack was the latest in a wave of militant assaults across the troubled country that has killed over 100 people since last week. The brazen suicide bombings have been claimed by various Islamic militant groups, including the breakaway Taliban faction.

In Tuesday's attack, three attackers hit the courthouse in the town of in Tangi in the Charsadda district.

One of the bombers detonated his suicide vest at the court's main gate while police shot and killed the two other assailants, according to the district police chief, Sohail Khalid. The other two also wore suicide vests but had notr managed to set them off before being gunned down.

Khalid said 15 people were wounded in the attack and taken to hospital.

The Pakistani Taliban breakaway Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack in a text message sent to an Associated Press reporter.

In one of the attacks last week, dozens of worshippers gathered at a famed Sufi shrine were killed when an Islamic State suicide bomber walked into the shrine's main hall in the southern Sindh province and detonated his explosives on Thursday. The death toll from that attack has since risen to 90.

The shrine bombing prompted a countrywide crackdown by security forces targeting militants and their hideouts.

Pakistan has been at war with Islamic militants for more than a decade. In recent years it has launched major offensives against militant strongholds in the tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan, but insurgents have continued to carry out attacks elsewhere in the country.

 

 Associated Press Writer Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, and Asif Shahzad in Islamabad contributed to this report.</s>Three suicide bombers who targeted a court in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were killed on Tuesday, the ghastly attack also leaving five others dead, authorities said.

At least three attackers attempted to enter the Sessions Court at Charsadda district through the main gate when the complex was crowded, media reports said. The terrorists suddenly opened fire and threw grenades, prompting police and security forces to fire back, the Dawn said after speaking to officers and witnesses.

One of the bombers was killed in the firing at the gate and a second died as he entered the court. The third bomber was killed when he detonated his explosives, police told the Dawn. Police officer Fayaz Khan was quoted as saying that five civilians were also killed in the terror attack, for which the outlawed Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility.

Some reports said a lawyer was among the dead and that up to 17 persons were injured. Urdu TV channel Abb Takk said the injured included five policemen, Xinhua news agency reported. Up to 10 ambulances were rushed to Charsadda from Peshawar, where the Lady Reading Hospital was put on high alert.

The attack come even though security had been heightened across the province and the rest of Pakistan after a wave of terror attacks that left over 100 people dead in the past 10 days. Charsadda is located nearly 40 minutes away Peshawar.

Earlier, gunfire was heard after one of the blasts near the gate of the court located at Tangi Bazaar. The Dawn quoted witnesses as saying that the remains of the bombers were lying along with their explosives and ammunition.

On February 16, a suicide attack on the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sindh killed 88 persons and injured more than 200. The Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, with ties to the Islamic State, had also claimed responsibility for the carnage.</s>PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) - A group of suicide bombers struck outside a courthouse in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing five people in an attack claimed by a Taliban splinter group.

The attack was the latest in a wave of militant assaults across the troubled country that has killed over 100 people since last week. The brazen suicide bombings have been claimed by various Islamic militant groups, including the breakaway Taliban faction.

In Tuesday's attack, three attackers hit the courthouse in the town of in Tangi in the Charsadda district.

People light candles and oil lamps in tribute to the victims of Thursday's suicide attack at Lal Shahbaz Qalander shrine in Sehwanshrine, in Karachi, Pakistan, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. Pakistani authorities shut down a second key border crossing into Afghanistan, halting trade supplies to the neighboring landlocked country and increasing tensions between the two nations in the wake of a bloody suicide bombing at the beloved shrine in Pakistan, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

One of the bombers detonated his suicide vest at the court's main gate while police shot and killed the two other assailants, according to the district police chief, Sohail Khalid. The other two also wore suicide vests but had notr managed to set them off before being gunned down.

Khalid said 15 people were wounded in the attack and taken to hospital.

The Pakistani Taliban breakaway Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack in a text message sent to an Associated Press reporter.

In one of the attacks last week, dozens of worshippers gathered at a famed Sufi shrine were killed when an Islamic State suicide bomber walked into the shrine's main hall in the southern Sindh province and detonated his explosives on Thursday. The death toll from that attack has since risen to 90.

The shrine bombing prompted a countrywide crackdown by security forces targeting militants and their hideouts.

Pakistan has been at war with Islamic militants for more than a decade. In recent years it has launched major offensives against militant strongholds in the tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan, but insurgents have continued to carry out attacks elsewhere in the country.

Associated Press Writer Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, and Asif Shahzad in Islamabad contributed to this report.</s>PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A group of suicide bombers with grenades and assault rifles struck outside a courthouse in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing six people in an attack claimed by a Taliban splinter group.

The attack was the latest in a wave of militant assaults across the troubled country that has killed over 100 people since last week. The brazen suicide bombings have been claimed by mutiple Islamic militant groups.

In Tuesday’s attack, three attackers hit the courthouse in the town of Tangi in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan. The victims included a lawyer, a child and four police officers, according to Ijaz Khan, a senior police officer.

He said police were on maximum alert after receiving intelligence that terrorists could target the courts in Charsadda. One of the bombers threw grenades and detonated his suicide vest at the court’s main gate while police shot and killed the two other assailants, according to the district police chief, Sohail Khalid.

The other two also wore suicide vests but did not manage to set them off before being gunned down.

Khalid said 15 people were wounded in the attack and taken to hospital.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility in a text message sent to an Associated Press reporter.

In one of the attacks last week, dozens of worshippers gathered at a famed Sufi shrine were killed Thursday when an Islamic State suicide bomber detonated his device inside the shrine’s main hall in the southern province of Sindh. The death toll from that attack has reached 90.

The shrine bombing prompted a countrywide crackdown by security forces targeting militants and their hideouts.

Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa praised police for foiling the attack and “saving many lives,” according to the military statement.

Mian Saqib Nisar, the chief justice of Pakistan, strongly condemned the attack in a statement and expressed his condolences for families of those who lost loved ones.

In a latest development, Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told reporters that fresh talks with the militants cannot be ruled out. “Talks can be held with everyone, including the Taliban,” he said.

But he maintained that, “We will not bow before the terrorists.”

Pakistan has been at war with Islamic militants for more than a decade. In recent years, it severed peace talks and launched an ongoing offensive against militant strongholds in the tribal regions along the Afghan border, but insurgents have continued to carry out attacks around the country.</s>Pakistani soldiers stand guard at the site of the court complex in the Charsadda district. Pic/AFP



Peshawar: Seven persons, including a lawyer, were killed and 20 others injured yesterday when Taliban suicide bombers stormed a court in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The attackers opened fire and threw grenades as they attempted to enter the sessions court premises in Tangi, prompting retaliatory fire by the security forces deployed there. Three attackers were killed in the police action. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack.

"Several terrorists attacked the court and resorted to heavy firing at the main gate of the lower court," police said. One bomber was killed in the firing at the gate and the second was killed as he entered the court. The third bomber died when he detonated his explosives.

"Seven people were killed and 20 others were injured during the attack," Sohail Khalid, district police chief Charsadda, said. Provincial government sources said one lawyer is among those killed.</s>At least five people were killed when multiple Taliban suicide bombers attacked a court complex in northern Pakistan Tuesday, the latest in a series of assaults which have raised fears militants are regrouping.

One bomber was briefly on the loose inside the busy complex in the Tangi area of Charsadda district but was killed by police some 20 minutes after the attack began, officials said.

A second bomber was shot dead by security forces and a third died when he detonated his vest outside the main gates of the facility in province, according to police.

The attack was claimed by the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) faction of the Pakistani Taliban, which carried out a series of apparently coordinated assaults last week including a powerful bomb blast in Lahore which killed 14 people.

Earlier this month the group vowed a fresh offensive on targets in Pakistan including the judiciary.

"So far five people have been killed and 15 wounded," Suhail Khalid, district police chief, told AFP, adding that a lawyer was among the dead.

The three attackers had opened fire on police and thrown grenades as they tried to battle their way into the complex, Khalid said.

"Bomb disposal experts told us that each bomber was wearing seven to eight kilogrammes of explosives," he told reporters in Charsadda.

It was not immediately clear how many people were inside at the time of the attack, but hundreds of people including lawyers, judges and citizens normally attend such district court complexes every day.

Lawyers and the judiciary are frequent targets in Pakistan. Among last week's assaults was a bomb blast targeting a van carrying judges in Peshawar, which killed their driver.

Last August JuA along with the Islamic State group claimed a suicide bombing in Quetta that killed 73 people, including many of the southwestern city's legal community.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's office condemned the latest assault and the loss of life.

"We are a steadfast nation and will not be deterred by such attacks. Our government will continue to fight against terrorist elements and we will succeed," a statement said.

Police and troops had been on high alert in Pakistan after last week's wave of attacks, which killed more than 100 people.

Most, including the Lahore bomb, were claimed by JuA, a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or Pakistani Taliban) group.

But the Islamic State group claimed the deadliest of last week's assaults, a suicide bomb at a Sufi shrine in Sindh province on Thursday which killed 90 people and wounded hundreds.

The emergence of IS and a TTP resurgence would be a major blow to Pakistan, which had enjoyed a dramatic improvement in security over the past two years after a military-led crackdown begun in 2014.

Analysts said there were "visible signs" militants were regrouping after last week's attacks.

Islamabad launched a violent crackdown in their wake, saying it killed dozens of "terrorists" and carried out strikes on militant hideouts along the border with Afghanistan.

Hundreds of families have been displaced by the firing on both sides of the border, according to officials.

Kabul and Islamabad routinely accuse each other of providing safe haven to militants.

The Pakistani government admitted it shelters the Afghan Taliban leadership in statements by the country's top diplomat last year.</s>Seven die at Pakistan court as three suicide bombers attack

At least seven people were killed when multiple Taliban suicide bombers attacked a court complex in northern Pakistan Tuesday, the latest in a series of assaults which have raised fears militants are regrouping.

One bomber was briefly on the loose inside the busy complex in the Tangi area of Charsadda district but was killed by police some 20 minutes after the attack began, officials said.

A second bomber was shot dead by security forces and a third died when he detonated his vest outside the main gates of the facility in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to police.

The attack was claimed by the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) faction of the Pakistani Taliban, which carried out a series of apparently coordinated assaults last week including a powerful bomb blast in Lahore which killed 14 people.

Earlier this month the group vowed a fresh offensive on targets in Pakistan including the judiciary.

“So far seven people have been killed and 15 wounded,” Suhail Khalid, district police chief, told AFP, adding that a lawyer was among the dead.

“We are a steadfast nation and will not be deterred by such attacks. Our government will continue to fight against terrorist elements and we will succeed,” a statement said.

The three attackers had opened fire on police and thrown grenades as they tried to battle their way into the complex, Khalid said.

“Bomb disposal experts told us that each bomber was wearing seven to eight kilogrammes of explosives,” he told reporters.

Hundreds of people including lawyers, judges and citizens normally attend the court complex.

An AFP reporter at the scene said the area was littered with human remains, while a pile of law books stained with blood and riddled with bullets lay strewn outside an office.

Police scoured the area for evidence as military helicopters whirred overhead. An old man whose four-year-old grandson died in the attack wept.

Another man who witnessed the attack, Muhammad Hussain, said he was about to enter the complex when he heard the blast.

“When I looked up I saw three armed men, hurling grenades and opening fire,” said the 35-year-old civil servant, adding he sought shelter in a nearby police barracks from where he heard the gunbattle.

“This continued for some minutes and then I heard another big bang. Some minutes after a policemen told me that it’s all over.”

Lawyers and the judiciary are frequent targets in Pakistan. Among last week’s assaults was a bomb blast targeting a van carrying judges in Peshawar, which killed their driver.

Last August JuA along with the Islamic State group claimed a suicide bombing in Quetta that killed 73 people, including many of the southwestern city’s legal community.

Police and troops had been on high alert in Pakistan after last week’s wave of attacks, which killed more than 100 people.

Most, including the Lahore bomb, were claimed by JuA, a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or Pakistani Taliban) group.

But the Islamic State group claimed the deadliest of last week’s assaults, a suicide bomb at a Sufi shrine in Sindh province on Thursday which killed 90 people and wounded hundreds.

The emergence of IS and a TTP resurgence would be a major blow to Pakistan, which had enjoyed a dramatic improvement in security over the past two years after a military-led crackdown begun in 2014.

Islamabad launched a violent crackdown in the wake of the recent attacks, saying it killed dozens of “terrorists” and carried out strikes on militant hideouts along the border with Afghanistan. Hundreds of families have been displaced by the firing on both sides of the border, according to officials.
Multiple suicide bombers kill at least six people near a district court in Charsadda. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attack.