Three suicide bombers have attacked the headquarters of a paramilitary force in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least three security personnel and wounding several others, according to media reports.
The Dawn daily reported that the attack on the headquarters of the Federal Constabulary (FC) took place early on Monday, with one of the fighters detonating their explosives at the gate to the complex.
The other two tried to force their way in, but were shot dead, it reported.
“Initially, three militants tried to attack the headquarters,” Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Mian Saeed Ahmad told the newspaper.
“One bomber blew himself up on the gate, while two others tried to enter the premises but were gunned down by FC personnel,” he added.
The Dunya News website, also citing Saeed, said the three slain FC officers had been stationed at the gate and were killed in the explosion there.
The headquarters of the force is located in a densely populated area of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
A security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Reuters that the area has been closed off.
“Law enforcement personnel, including the army and police, have cordoned off the area and are carefully handling the situation as we suspect there are some terrorists inside the headquarters,” the official was quoted as saying.
According to Dawn, the attacks also caused injuries to at least six civilians, who were take to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.
A spokesman for the hospital told Dawn that all those wounded were in stable condition.
The daily also reported that an emergency has been declared at the hospital as well as at Khyber Teaching Hospital.