Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani has said that most of the army recruits killed in a suicide bombing at Dargai on Wednesday were aged between 16 and 17. “Media and human rights organisations should also visit the homes of the boys who were killed in the suicide attack to speak to their parents and know their plight,” the minister told a press conference at PTV headquarters. He said the bombing was linked to the military’s strike on a madrassa, used as a training camp for militants, in Bajaur Agency on October 30. “Preliminary intelligence reports suggest that that incident was linked to Bajaur where suicide training had been imparted. Further inquiries are underway,” he said. “Today’s incident is a proof that young minds were being brainwashed and given suicide training to kill innocent people” he added.
Mr Durrani condemned parties that had criticised the Bajaur madrassa raid, saying they had made irresponsible statements for political benefit. “They must keep in mind that their irresponsible actions and statements might be helping the cause of terrorists and resulting in loss of innocent lives” he said.