Deadly wave of attacks: gunmen, bombs hit five sites: 39 dead

[Naveed Yaseen]

Lahore rocked by three terror attacks
14 cops among 19 dead; all nine attackers killed; terrorists storm FIA building, Manawan police centre and elite police academy; TTP claims responsibility

By Salman Aslam

LAHORE: At least 19 people, including 14 security officials, were killed and 41 others sustained injuries in three separate terror attacks in Lahore on Thursday. All nine attackers were also shot dead by security personnel, officials said.

The attacks were carried out at the FIA building on the Temple Road, the Manawan Police Training Centre and the Elite Police Academy on the Bedian Road.The brazen attacks on the tightly-guarded security sites came just six days after a highly organised attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

The District Emergency Control Room received the first call of a terrorist attack at 9:40am on the FIA building. After 15-16 minutes, the control room received other calls of attacks on the Manawan Police Training Centre and the Elite Police Training Academy at 9:55am and 9:56am, respectively.

In the first attack, a terrorist wearing an explosive vest attacked the FIA offices on the Temple Road. The assailant opened indiscriminate fire at the people, killing six persons, including two FIA inspectors, on the spot.

An FIA official told The News that he was present in the new FIA building when he heard the sound of a blast and crackle of gunshots. He said two Rangers officials took positions at the new and old buildings to counter the attack.

No less than 10 persons were present in the lockup in the blast-wrecked building. Inspector Rana Farooq was present in the old building. He rushed to another room to save his life, but the terrorist chased him and shot him dead. Another inspector, Rana Shahzad, was about to go to a local court when he was targeted by the terrorist. He also died on the spot.

Heavy contingent of police rushed to the scene to counter the attack. Police cordoned off the building and killed the terrorist.The people who lost their lives were Muhammad Siddiq, 27; Muhammad Riaz, son of Bashir, 28; Syed Ikraamul Haq, son of Syed Zahoor, 25; Zaheer Afzal, son of Afzal, 26 (a bank employee); Shahzad Younas, 30 (FIA Inspector); and Rana Farooq, 50 (FIA Inspector).

Police recovered a hand-grenade, seven chambers, some dry fruit and an explosive vest from the possession of the clean-shaven terrorist. The police arrested a suspected youth aged around 20 from near the FIA building. The youth was taken to an undisclosed place for interrogation.

In the second attack, four terrorists stormed the Elite Police Academy on the Bedian Road and crossfire continued till Thursday afternoon until the security forces killed the two attackers and freed a family they were holding hostage. Two other attackers blew themselves up, police said.

General Officer Commanding (GOC) Lahore Maj-Gen Shafaqat Ahmed told newsmen the the Pakistan Army and the police carried out a successful operation against terrorists and the training centre had been cleared of terrorists.

“Security forces sustained no causalities, while five terrorists have been killed and the situation is totally under control.”Forces killed two out of four terrorists — one at the main gate the other on the rooftop of a building. The other two terrorists blew themselves up. An ASI Ghulam Jaffar and a citizen, Adil, were killed in the attack.

The injured police officials were identified as Irfan Bukhari, 27; Ilyas, son of Arshad, 25; Waseem, son of Munawwar, 31; Suhail, son of Mohammad Hayat, 23; Nazish Hussain, son of Mohammad Yaqoob, 24; Iftikhar, son of Rafiullah, 26; and Ajmal Butt, son of Khwaja Mukhtar, 35.

The attackers of the Manawan Police Training School succeeded in creating confusion as they were wearing police-like camouflage fatigues. But when they hurled a grenade and opened indiscriminate fire at the trainees, killing 11 policemen and injuring 34, the counter attack was launched.

The policemen who lost their lives were identified as Salamat Ali, 35, (Instructor); Tahir, 25 (Constable); Muhammad Aslam (Instructor); Asif, 18 (Constable); Zahid Ali Shah, 22 (Constable); Sher Muhammad, 42 (Inspector); Nasarullah Khan, 24 (Constable); Anwar Ali, 45 (Sub-Inspector); and a 22-year-old civilian.

The injured policemen were identified as Mohammad Asif, son of Habibullah, 27; Farooq, son of Riaz, 25; Mohammad Ashfaq, son of Ghulam Mustafa, 25; Basharat Ali, son of Arshad, 26; Iftikhar Hussain; Mohammad Yousaf; Imtiaz Ahmad; Mohammad Razzaq; Mohammad Asif; Sajjad Ahmad; Adnan Ahmad; Mohammad Hanif; Iftikhar Ahmad; Shafqat Hussain; Ameer Mohammad (Inspector); Fazal; Shahab Ali; Dildar; Waseem Abbas; Muzammil Hussain; Kalimullah, Mohammad Shakeel; Nadim Iqbal; and Nasar.

Thursday’s attacks on the security sites recalled the memories of the previous bloody attacks on the FIA building and the Manawan Police Training Centre.According to police sources, the building and walls of the FIA offices are still incomplete despite the lapse of one-and-a-half years.

On March 30, 2009, eight police recruits and a civilian were killed when a group of 10 terrorists attacked the centre in Manawan. On March 11, 2008, at least 30 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a suicide blast at the FIA headquarters and an advertising agency office in Lahore.

Meanwhile, Lahore police arrested two suspects, one from the Walton Road, and the other from Miani Sahib. They were shifted to an unknown location for questioning.

Cases were lodged at the Civil Lines, Burki and Manawan police stations against the attackers.The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s Amjad Farooqi group has claimed responsibility for the terror attacks.
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LAHORE (October 16 2009): Teams of gunmen launched coordinated attacks on three law enforcement facilities in Lahore and car bombs hit two other cities Thursday, killing a total of 39 people in an escalating wave of anti-government violence. The bloodshed, aimed at scuttling a planned offensive into the Taliban heartland near the Afghan border.

Highlights the militants' ability to carry out sophisticated strikes on heavily fortified facilities and exposes the failure of the intelligence agencies to adequately infiltrate the extremist cells. The attacks Thursday also were the latest to underscore the growing threat to Punjab, where the Taliban are believed to have made inroads and linked up with local insurgent outfits.

In the Taliban-riddled north-west, meanwhile, a suicide car bomb exploded next to a police station in the Saddar area of Kohat, collapsing half the building and killing 11 people _ three police officers and eight civilians _ Kohat police chief Abdullah Khan said.

Early Thursday evening, a bomb exploded in a car outside a housing complex for government employees in the north-western city of Peshawar, killing a 6-year-old boy and wounding nine others, most of them women and children, said Liaqat Ali Khan, the top police official in the region. He said an assailant parked the car outside the house and walked away before remotely detonating the bomb.

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