Tribesmen on Monday buried the last of the 43 people killed in a suicide bomb attack at a jirga discussing how to tackle Al Qaeda and Taliban militants. The political agent of Darra Adam Khel ordered a probe into the suicide attack, and announced a three-day mourning period.Shut down: District Coordination Officer Kamram Zeb, who co-governs the region, shut down all educational institutions for an indefinite period due to the uncertain situation in the area. “There has never been such a tragedy in the history of Darra Adam Khel. We had to bury some without hands or legs, or in some cases there were only pieces of flesh and bones,” local schoolteacher Tahir Khan told AFP.
Clerics used mosque loudspeakers to announce one funeral after another and burials continued late into the night after the blast, residents said. People with spades and pickaxes were seen filing to the local cemetery for the final funerals on Monday, they added.
Residents said that of the five major ethnic Pashtun tribes that had gathered for Sunday’s ill-fated ‘peace meeting,’ not one was left without casualties to mourn. Based on information from relatives, the death toll had risen to 43, local administration official Saleem Gandapur told AFP, adding: “There is a possibility that the final death toll may be higher as we are still compiling the data from the affected families.” Hospital and security officials earlier put the toll at 35 dead and dozens wounded.
Forensic tests: The remains of the suspected bomber including his severed head and legs have been sent to a hospital in the nearby city of Kohat for forensic tests, Gandapur said. He said the bomber appeared to be 18 years old. Officials said he approached the meeting of hundreds of tribesmen on foot and blew himself up. Darra Qaumi Tehreek President Wazir Afridi, meanwhile, vowed that the areaÂ’s elders would convene another jirga once the situation normalised to bring peace to the region. This would identify the root cause of lawlessness in the region, he added.