Quetta attack: At least 60 killed as terrorists storm police academy in Pakistan

Asia-Pacific, News October 25, 2016 , by IRIA No Comments

At least 60 killed and more than 100 others injured in deadly attack on police academy in Pakistani city of Quetta

At least 60 people, mostly cadets, have been killed in an attack on a police training centre in the city of Quetta, Pakistani officials say. The announcement on Tuesday came at the end of a military counter-operation.

More than 100 people were also injured as commandos conducted a five-hour operation to rescue cadets who were held hostage inside the complex.

The attack took place in the dead of night as heavily-armed militants wearing suicide vests stormed the sprawling Quetta police academy, targeting sleeping quarters home to some 700 recruits.

“I saw three men in camouflage whose faces were hidden carrying Kalashnikovs,” one cadet said according to AFP news agency. “They started firing and entered the dormitory but I managed to escape over a wall.”

“In the early morning, we have the latest death toll of 58 people who died during the attack last night,” doctor Nasir Sumalani at Quetta’s government hospital, told AFP. Balochistan home ministry said 118 people were wounded.

Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti told media that the three attackers first attacked the watch tower sentry of the academy and after killing the guard, were able to enter the premises.

The training college is situated on Saryab Road, which is considered to be one of the most sensitive areas of Quetta.

The cadets were rescued from the college following an operation carried out by Special Services Group (SSG) commandos.

Soldiers arrive at the police training college in Quetta after the terror attack on 24 October 2016. — AFP

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami behind terrorist attack: IG Frontier Corps

IG Frontier Corps Major General Sher Afghan said that the attackers were associated with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami terrorist group — which is affiliated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — and were receiving directions from Afghanistan. “They were in communication with operatives in Afghanistan,” he said. The group itself has not claimed the attack.

Major General Sher Afgan, chief of the paramilitary FC in Balochistan, which led the counter-operation, said: “There were three terrorists and all of them were wearing suicide vests,” he added. “Two suicide attackers blew themselves up, which resulted in casualties, while the third one was shot dead by our troops.”

The operation needed to be conducted with precision, therefore it took us four hours to clear the area completely, he added.

Troops rush to the Police Training Centre after an attack on the academy in Quetta. — Reuters

Was ISIS involved in Quetta attack?

There is no official word but some reports and tweets suggest that the terror group ISIS is reportedly involved in the Quetta police academy attack.

Saleem Mehsud, reporter for CNN, covering FATA, militancy and terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan claimed:

Brutal Militant group #ISIS Khurrassan claimed #Police Academy attack #Quetta #Baluchistan, saying 3 bombers of #IS carried out the attack

— Saleem Mehsud (@SaleemMehsud) October 24, 2016