869 kg explosives used in Pakistan’s suicide blast

Nearly 870 kg of explosives were used in a suicide blast in northwest Pakistan’s Kohat district last week that killed 21 people, including 16 policemen, authorities said 
on Tuesday.

Militants detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a mosque on September 18 during Friday prayers and stormed nearby police facilities in Kohat district of the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The explosion killed 21 people, including 16 policemen, and injured 103 others, most of whom were police personnel.

A bomb disposal unit examined the blast site, collected evidence, including the nature and quantity of explosives used, and submitted a detailed report to the Central Police Office on Tuesday. According to the report, 869 kilograms of explosive materials were used in the blast, which caused a crater about 6.6 feet by 11 feet wide with a depth of 4.6 feet. The report said highly powerful explosive material was used in the attack, and the vehicle involved in the blast was also identified.

After the blast, the attackers also entered the old Police Lines compound and established a fortified position in the special branch block.
In a clearance operation following the explosion, security forces killed eight militants at the police compound.

Unexploded explosive material was recovered from inside the special branch building, according to the report. Two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were also recovered from the ground floor and a suicide vest was found on the first floor, it said.

The vest contained four IEDs, which were defused and recovered by security personnel. The area was declared safe and under control after the clearance operation, according to 
the report.