An assistant head of the police’s bomb disposal squad was killed on Saturday when an improvised explosive device exploded while he was attempting to defuse it in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said. The incident occurred in the Sararogha area in Upper South Waziristan district, according to the police.
District police officer Ashfaq Khan told local media that the official sustained critical injuries in the explosion and later succumbed to them. According to the police, the official had successfully defused an IED planted in the area before another explosive device went off as he attempted to neutralise it.
The event underscores the perilous work carried out by bomb disposal units in the region, where improvised explosive devices remain a persistent threat to security forces. Officials noted that the official had carried out unprecedented success in removing a previous device a short time earlier, before the fatal detonation occurred.
Reactions from the police hierarchy emphasize that the loss will be deeply felt by the squad and that steps will be taken to review safety protocols during de‑mining operations in the area. The district administration has pledged to support the families of the fallen officer and to honour his sacrifice in a post‑humous ceremony scheduled for later this week.
Reports indicate that the Sararogha area remains volatile, with sporadic reports of unexploded ordnance, and that the ongoing security situation continues to pose serious risks to personnel involved in neutralising IEDs. The police will be conducting an inquiry into the incident to assess whether operational procedures were fully adhered to.
The assistant head’s death has prompted reflections within the security community about the high cost of counter‑explosive operations in conflict‑prone zones such as Upper South Waziristan. While the precise chain of events leading to the detonation is still under review, the incident will serve as a stark reminder of the dangers inherent in disarming devices for the safety of civilian and military communities alike.
