Second Peshawar Attack in Days

Dawn notes

The attack occurred at a security checkpoint in one of Peshawar's busiest areas in an army cantonment outside a government office and a church, where Pakistan's Christian minority were preparing to celebrate Christmas.

Unusually, this attacker appeared to be on his own and on foot, when he was stopped passing through a sceurity checkpoint which is where he blew himself up. He had nails in his vest to cause maximum damage. The use of the lone attacker marks a return to older techniques of attack, rather than the contemporary team-operations of forced entry at high speed, mostly in vehicles.

The blast which killed at least five occurred near an airlines office and and Shia mosque. Peshawar has been very much a focus for attacks over the past six weeks or so.

On Tuesday, as noted in this Dawn editorial, there was an attack on the Peshawar Press Club in which a head constable was killed trying to protect the premises and those who were in it.

Dawn writes of the inadequate protection, training and protection of ordinary policemen;

in spite of their inadequate training, insufficient equipment and facilities and poor monetary status, the police continue to perform their duty as best as they can.