Taliban suicide attack on police headquarters in Lahore kills at least eight

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A Taliban suicide bomber on Tuesday killed seven people and himself in a brazen attack on police headquarters in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, in what militants called a revenge bid for the recent hangings of colleagues.

It was the third in a series of high-profile attacks in the last month triggered by a government decision in December to begin hanging those convicted of terror attacks, reversing an informal six-year moratorium on the death penalty.

“We claim the attack in Lahore because the government is killing our men in prison,” said Ehsanullah Ehsan, a spokesman for powerful Taliban splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar.

“We will get revenge for every man and our struggle will continue until sharia is instituted in the country,” he said, referring to Islamic law.

Punjab police chief Mushtaq Sukhera said a policeman and four civilians were among the dead. Jam Hussain, a spokesman for the emergency services, said six bodies had been recovered along with the attacker’s.

At least 23 people were injured, said Khawaja Salman Rafique, health adviser to the chief minister of Punjab.

Casualties would have been much greater if the police had not been alert and kept out the bomber, Lahore police chief Amin Wains told reporters at the attack site.

“It was a suicide blast, the bomber blew up prematurely outside the police offices,” he added. “That he could not enter the offices shows our security was successful.”

Ali Raza, the owner of a shop nearby, said the blast had been powerful enough to knock over one of his employees, and left body parts strewn in the street.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif tried to hold peace talks with the Taliban after he came to power in elections in 2012.

But the talks failed, and last June, the military launched an offensive to drive the Taliban from their stronghold, the mountainous region of North Waziristan along the Afghan border.

Several militant attacks followed, culminating in a December Taliban massacre at a school in the northeastern city of Peshawar that killed 134 children and 19 adults.

Amid an outpouring of rage and grief, the government said it would begin carrying out executions of convicted militants on death row.

Since the executions began in January, Pakistan had suffered two other militant attacks before Tuesday’s. Twenty people were killed this month in an attack on a Shi’ite mosque in Peshawar, while 60 were killed in a Jan. 30 attack on a Shi’ite mosque in the southern province of Sindh.

4 COMMENTS

  1. PAKISTAN MUST STOP ALL TERRORISMS VIA MUSLIMS MADMULLAS IN INDIA SRILANKA BURMA BANGLADESH ..OR BARBARICS SHALL KEEP KILLING THE INNOCENTS .. 2- PAKISTAN MUST OUDLY OPENLY TAKE LEADERSHIP OF TRUE ISLAM – SACH -TRUTH -AND HAQ- BAISC HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALL- THAT MUST BE PAKISTANS OWN JEHAAD AGAINST REAL KAAFIRS ..

  2. We send our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the victims' families. The terrorists have once again shown their evilness through this act of terror. The series of suicide attacks in the recent weeks prove the terrorists remain focused on destabilizing the country. We repeat what Rear Admiral John Kirby said recently: "It is for Pakistan to continue the fight against terrorism in its own interest as Pakistanis have been victims of terror. And it's a shared threat, a shared challenge that we have, and we have maintained an interest in helping them deal with, and that will continue."

    We recognize the Pakistani security forces are doing their best to counter the growing threat of terrorism in the country. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is affected by this act of terror. We stand united with the nation of Pakistan and wish to see peace prevail throughout the region.

    Ali khan

    Digital Engagement Team, USCENTCOM

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