12:27 PM
Muhammad Zai Khan
Rescue workers frantically tried to extinguish fires that engulfed several cars in the minutes after the attack near a major market in the city.
Sifwat Ghayur, the head of the Frontier Constabulary, was killed in the attack along with his driver and bodyguard, said Abdul Rahman Khan, a local police officer. The explosion also injured 14 other people, he said.
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the killing and threatened more such assassinations.
“We killed him, he was our target... all such officers who are active against us will suffer the same fate,” Azam Tariq, a spokesman for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, told AFP by telephone.
“He was conducting different operations against us...one of our fidayee (suicide attackers) has done this job,” he added.
It was unclear whether the suicide bomber attacked on foot or was in a vehicle, said Khan.
The attack comes as the northwest, which has been plagued by violence at the hands of the Pakistani Taliban, is trying to get back on its feet after heavy monsoon rains a week ago triggered devastating floods that have killed 1,500 people.
