In one of the deadliest attacks of the year, militants killed 60 under training police officers and over 100 others in Police Training College near Quetta in Southwestern province of Pakistan on Monday night.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his key opponent Imran Khan and Chief of the Army Staff , General Raheel Sharif visited Quetta in a show of solidarity with victims. Chairman of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf, a leading opposition party, Imran Khan said that investigation must be carried out to determine how the security lapse happened that culminated into Quetta tragedy.
“Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif should focus on the admiistration in Quetta and Balochistan more since the province was highly sensitive and threatened from terrorism,” he said.
In Washington, the State Department said the United States stands with Pakistan and condemned the deadly attack.
Three gunmen burst into the sprawling academy, targeting sleeping quarters home to some 700 recruits, and sent terrified young men aged between 15 and 25 fleeing.
Communication intercepts made by intelligence agencies showed the attack was carried out by Al-Alimi faction of the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ) militant group, IG Frontier Corps (FC) Major General Sher Afgan said.
Most of the deaths were caused when two of the suicide bombers blew themselves up. The third was shot dead by Frontier Corps (FC) troops. At least 120 people were injured, electronic media reported.
“I saw three men carrying Kalashnikovs… they were in camouflage and their faces were hidden,” one cadet told reporters. “They started firing and entered the dormitory but I managed to escape by climbing over a wall.”
“They first targeted the watch tower sentry, and after exchanging fire, killed him and were able to enter the academy grounds,” he said.
The attack on the Balochistan Police College, around 20 kilometers east of Quetta, began at around 11:10pm Monday, with gunfire continuing to ring out at the site for several hours.
The training college has come under attack in the past in 2008 and 2006, with attackers firing rockets into the college playground. It covers about an acre of land .
Major General Sher Afgan, chief of the paramilitary FC in Balochistan, which led the counter-operation, said “the attack was over in around three hours after we arrived”.
“The operation needed to be conducted with precision therefore it took us four hours to clear the area completely.”
He added that the militants had been communicating with their handlers in Afghanistan.
The area was plunged into darkness when a counter-offensive was launched, and security personnel threw up a cordon while ambulances zoomed in and out, taking the injured to hospitals. Military helicopters circled overhead.
The cadets were rescued from the college following an operation carried out by Special Services Group (SSG) commandos.
The training college is situated on Sariab Road, which is considered to be one of the most sensitive areas of Quetta. Militants have been targeting security forces in the area for almost a decade.
A senior law enforcement agency’s official said assailants had fired at the police training centre from five different points.
Two terrorists entered the premises after shooting at the guard manning the checkpost near the front gate, while the third reportedly climbed the rear wall of the police centre.
“Two attackers entered through the front gate,” Senior Superintendent Police Operations Mohammad Iqbal had said earlier.
Iqbal said that the suicide jacket of one attacker was not detonated and his body was lying at the centre premises.
Initial investigations showed the terrorists had entered the hostel, he said. The SSP said that there had been trouble distinguishing friend from foe as it was dark at the time.
The Quetta carnage has widely been condemned across the world. Washington has condemned the terrorist attack .
State Department spokesman John Kirby in a statement extended condolences to the victims and their families, including the police cadets who are embarking on careers of public service.
“We stand with the people of Pakistan and Government of Pakistan at this difficult hour, and we will continue to work with our partners in Pakistan and across the region to combat the threat of terrorism,”John Kirby said.
