QUETTA: Around 24 people including an official of the Frontier
Corps, wife of DIG Frontier Corp have been killed and more 60 others
wounded in twin suicide attacks outside the residence of the DIG
Frontier Corps near Commissioner Office early Wednesday.
“The
first blast occurred around 9 am and the second after a delay of five
minutes in the Civil Lines area of the city, killing at least 24 people
and leaving more 60 others including FC men critically injured,” said
the DIG Operations Hamid Shakeel adding the blasts were so huge that
the vehicles parked in the range of blast caught fire smashing the
windowpanes of dozen of nearby buildings.
As a result of blasts
and firing, the wife of DIG Frontier Corps and Colonel Khalid of
Frontier Corps also died while Deputy Chief of FC Brigadier Farukah
Shehzad sustained injuries.
One of the suicide bombers rammed a
car carrying explosives into an FC vehicle parked outside the DIG FC
house while the other entered the house and started firing who later
blew himself up, police official said.
Three security men who
had been waiting in an official vehicle to escort the deputy
inspector-general to work burnt alive as a result of massive suicide
attack targeting the FC forces responsible for the recent capture of
senior Al Qaeda operatives, police official said. Soon after the blast,
Police and FC official including Inspector General of Frontier Corps
Major General Obaidullah Khan Khattak and DIG Operations Balochistan
Police Hamid Shakeel along with the rescue teams reached the site and
shifted the victims of the twin blast to the civil hospital Quetta and
Combined Military Hospital while bomb disposal squad and fire
extinguishing teams also reached the spot.
The head and legs of
the alleged suicide bomber were evacuated to the morgue of the civil
hospital and later sent to the laboratory for the forensic report.
According
to the Civil Defense official, about 100kg explosive was used in the
blasts which caused huge crater in the middle of the road leading
towards District and Session Courts.
The condition of some of the injured being treated in various hospital of the provincial capital is stated to be critical.
According
to identity card of the alleged suicide bomber, his name mentioned as
Ahmed Gul, resident of Kandoze province of Afghanistan, police
conformed.
Meanwhile, Governor Balochistan Nawab Zulfiqar Ali
Magsi and Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam visited the blasts site
and inquired about the details of incident from the officials deployed
there. They were accompanied by the higher officials of law enforcement
agencies. They in strong terms condemned the incident and assured for
bringing the responsible to justices On the occasion, the Chief
Minister Balochistan ordered inquiry into the incident. The Governor
Balochistan and Chief Minister Balochistan also visited Civil Hospital
and CMH and inquired after the health of injured.
Governor
Balochistan Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi while talking to the media men
described it as the responsibility of the provincial government to
ensure security to life and property of citizens and said lapses in
security arrangements led to the latest suicide attacks which left
dozens of innocent people killed and injured.
It is pertinent
to mention here that Civil Lines falls in a red zone area of the
provincial capital due to the presence of Governor House, Chief
Minister Secretariat and DIG FC house while many other official
buildings and offices are also located in the same area. Emergency has
been declared in all hospitals of the provincial capital. The law
enforcer have thrown cordoned around the entire area and started search
to track the suspects down.
Chief Minister Balochistan and
Governor Balochistan also convened high level law and order meeting to
review security arrangement in the province and ensure stern action
against the anti-peace elements. Further investigation was underway. Online
