Peshawar FC HQs Under Attack: Explosions, Gunfire Rock Paramilitary Base

Gunfire and explosions shook Peshawar on Monday after gunmen launched an assault on the Frontier Corps headquarters, leaving at least three people dead. Police confirmed that troops were engaged in a counter operation as loud blasts echoed across the central area.

Attack Unfolds in Central Peshawar

"The FC headquarters is under attack: we are responding and the area is being cordoned off," police officer Mian Saeed Ahmad told Dawn. He added that "several explosions have taken place in the area" and that security personnel were sealing the surrounding streets.

Shortly after the assault began, videos circulated online showing smoke rising near FC Chowk Main Sadar and reports of additional blasts being heard.

A Violent Year for Security Forces

Monday's attack adds to a series of deadly strikes on Pakistani security installations this year. A powerful car bomb outside the paramilitary headquarters in Quetta earlier killed at least ten people and injured several others, underlining a growing security crisis.

Rising Tensions in Balochistan

In September, a suicide bomber targeted a political rally in Quetta, killing 11 and wounding more than 40 in a stadium parking area where hundreds of Balochistan National Party supporters had gathered.

Pakistani forces continue to battle an entrenched insurgency in the region. The conflict in Balochistan has claimed 782 lives in 2024, according to official figures.

Wave of Deadly Militant Strikes

Militant activity has intensified across the northwest and southwest. In March, the Baloch Liberation Army hijacked a train and killed off-duty troops.

Since January, more than 430 people, most of them security personnel, have been killed in various attacks, including the deaths of six soldiers in Bannu.