In a brazen challenge to the country’s military, a bomb and gun attack on the regional office of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency in Sukkur’s Barrage Colony on Wednesday killed two government employees and wounded at least 40 while five terrorists were also killed.
At least five terrorists attacked the ISI office, located in a heavily guarded compound which also houses the Rangers office, Commissioner’s House and office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, soon after Iftar.
According to reports, an ISI official and an employee of the Commissioner House were killed in the attack.
Sources said that a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the gate of ISI office while two others detonated explosives rigged with their bodies inside the office.
They said that a suspected bomber was arrested following the explosions, which damaged several vehicles and buildings and left a deep crater near the ISI office.
However, a Rangers spokesman said two militants blew themselves up while three were shot dead by forces. He added that several security personnel sustained injuries during the operation against attackers.
Sukkur DIG Javed Odho told reporters that the city headquarters of the ISI seemed to be the main target of the terrorists. He said the security personnel had carried out a search operation to apprehend any possible accomplices of the terrorists and the entire city had been locked down for the purpose.
It was unclear who carried out the attack, but previous such high-profile operations have always been claimed by the Taliban.
The intensity of the attack and the high-profile target unsettled the country that has long been inured to weekly bombings. It also raises questions about the new government’s aim of starting talks with militant groups.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pledged to seek negotiations and reconciliation with militant groups who were willing to talk before he won last May’s elections. But attacks have increased since he took office and the government has yet to present a security strategy.