–Policeman killed, four others injured as suspected terrorists attack Police Lines during promotional exam
QUETTA: At least one policeman was killed and four others injured when unidentified terrorists attacked the Police Lines area in Balochistan’s Loralai, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday.
According to Balochistan Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohsin Hassan Butt, three attackers, wearing suicide jackets, ambushed the main gate of the Police Lines area.
He said that “police and other law-enforcement agencies retaliated in a timely manner and managed to kill all three suicide bombers before they managed to enter the premises” at a time when policemen were busy taking their promotional examination.
According to the ISPR statement, at least three bombers attempted to target Police Lines in Loralai.
“The suicide bombers were effectively singled out by the police at the main gate. One suicide bomber was killed by a police guard at the entry point while two others managed to get inside the premises,” the statement read.
“FC and police QRF [quick response force] immediately reached the site and cordoned the area off. In exchange of fire, one suicide bomber detonated his vest, while the other was killed by security forces. Police Head Constable Allah Nawaz was martyred in the exchange of fire.”
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani condemned the attack and expressed condolences over the death of the policeman.
“The police force fought bravely against the terrorists. The swift and effective action taken by the police today shows that our security agencies are well prepared [to counter any threats],” the chief minister said.
Balochistan —long been plagued by an insurgency and targetted killings – is reeling under a fresh wave of terrorism, as Baloch insurgents and other religious outfits have ratcheted up attacks in the restive province, targetting LEAs and minority Shias, respectively.
In May alone, the province faced at least five terror attacks, including an attack on non-native labourers working in Dera Murad Jamali.
On May 9 –the same day a blast had rocked Lahore— three people, including a tribal elder, were killed in Qila Abdullah blast.
On May 10, two miners and three Frontier Corps personnel were killed in an attack and a subsequent landmine blast in the Khost area of Harnai district.
On May 11, militants belonging to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) stormed a five-star hotel in Gwadar, leaving five people, including a navy soldier, dead. The operation to clear the hotel took one day. The attack was targeted at Chinese investors allegedly present at the hotel.
On May 13, at least four policemen were killed and several others wounded after a bomb attack targeted their vehicles while they stood guard outside a mosque in Quetta.
On May 14, three labourers, reportedly from Sindh province, were killed in a targeted attack. No one claimed responsibility for the attacked.
In April, the province fared no better either, with two major blasts targeting law enforcers and minority Hazara community separately.
On April 12, at least 20 people were killed and 48 wounded by a powerful suicide blast apparently targeting the Hazara community at a crowded fruit market in Quetta.
A faction of the Taliban claimed the attack. The group said it collaborated with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), which has been behind numerous bloody attacks in Pakistan. There was no immediate confirmation from LeJ.
On the same day, two civilians were killed and 10 injured in the evening as an improvised explosive device (IED) had gone off when FC vehicle was passing through a market.
On April 18, at least 14 people were killed in an ambush on several buses travelling between Karachi and Gwadar in the remote Ormara area of Balochistan province on Thursday.
The attack which left at least 9 Pakistan Navy men dead after being identified through IDs was claimed by Baloch insurgents.
