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India-Pakistan

Quetta suicide blast targets FC; 10 killed

2016-02-07

QUETTA: At least 10 people, including four security personnel, woman and a child, were killed and 23 others sustained injuries as a suicide bomber targeted a security forces’ vehicle near the premises of the heavily guarded Quetta district courts on Saturday. The security convoy comprising a truck and two vehicles was on routine patrolling on the Adalat Road of Quetta city when a bicycle rider targeted it. DIG Imtiaz Shah confirmed it was a suicide attack and that the attacker blew himself up near a vehicle belonging to the FC. “Around 12 to 15 kg of explosive material was used in the blast,” he said. Inspector General Froniter Corps General Sher Afgan while talking to media confirmed that it was a suicide attack, adding that the terrorists were attacking soft targets as the successes achieved by armed forces and FC during the anti-terror operation have destroyed their capabilities. “Such attacks cannot dampen our spirit as we will continue fighting these elements till the establishment of peace in Balochistan,” he said. The elements who are involved in terrorist activities will be eliminated, he said, and added, “Action against terrorists will be fast and will bring peace for people of Balochistan.” Balochistan government spokesperson Anwar ul Haq Kakar said that security forces had carried out 250 intelligence- based operations in Balochistan against the terrorists. “The act of the suicide bombing is reaction of the security forces’ operation and aims at demoralising the security forces,” he said, adding that forces’ morale is high and government will not tolerate any kind of terrorist act. Heavy contingent of police reached the spot shortly after the incident and cordoned off the area. The deceased and injured were shifted to the Civil Hospital Quetta. The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack. “The TTP’s TSG Unity carried out the attack that targeted the convoy of security forces,” Taliban spokesperson, Mohammad Khorasani said in an email sent to journalists. The claim could not be independently verified. The blast damaged around five vehicles, four motorcycles and three rickshaws. The window panels of the nearby buildings were also shattered in the blast. The explosion was heard in a wide area. Traffic in the area usually remains jammed, with a market, district and sessions courts and a number of government building situated in the vicinity. Television footage showed several wounded FC personnel being shifted from the scene. Rescue and emergency teams reached the blast site. An emergency was declared in all nearby hospitals. Dr Rasheed Jamali, the on-duty physician at Civil Hospital Quetta, said that eight people among the injured were in serious condition and were moved to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) for medical treatment. Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durani told media on the spot said the suicide bomber targeted the FC vehicles. Claiming that the attack was aimed at damaging the CPEC project, the secretary said, “Because of the economic corridor, the security forces are being targeted by terrorists.” He said the terrorists don’t want CPEC project to complete. The deceased included Asif, 13-year-old Samreen Kurd, Hisbullah. Injured FC personnel were identified as Naseebullah, Nazim Ali, Nasib Ali, Arif, Abdul Hafeez, Liqaut Ali Shah, Inamullah, Ziaullah, Shad Aman, Aishfaq, Ashraf, Naqeeb. Civilians injured in the blast were identified as Abdul Wahab, Aman, Naeem, Manzoor, Saman, Dilawar, Aehsanullah, Naqeebullah, Uzma, Asim and police constable Dad Muhammad.

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India-Pakistan

Frontier Corps detains 2, seizes weapons in Balochistan

2015-11-17

QUETTA: Frontier Corps personnel on Monday arrested two suspected militants and recovered a huge cache of arms during two separate raids in Kech district of Balochistan. FC spokesman Khan Wasay told DawnNews that the paramilitary force recovered at least four rockets, 19 hand grenades, an improvised explosive device (IED) and a number of other weapons from a house in Mand Tehsil of district Kech. In a separate raid, FC men also arrested two suspected militants from the area possessing anti-state literature and books containing hate material. "The suspects were detained and are being interrogated by security officials," said the FC spokesman. In a separate raid, Levies personnel recovered two bodies from Dasht tehsil of Mastung district. Levies sources told DawnNews that both victims had received bullet injuries. The bodies were shifted to Mastung hospital for identification. Balochistan is in the throes of the fifth and longest running insurgency since 1947. Triggered in 2005 by the rape of a lady doctor allegedly by an army officer in Sui, it was exacerbated by the death of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in an Army operation in August 2006. Security forces have intensified their actions in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan after the announcement of the National Action Plan to combat terrorism in the country. Back in September, Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani stated that provincial law enforcement agencies have arrested more than 8,000 suspected militants and killed at least 204 after the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP). Durrani had told media that that out of the 204 terrorists killed, around 100 were high-profile terrorists.

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India-Pakistan

Mumtaz Qadri's supporters arrested

2015-10-07

[DAWN] Over 90 arrests were made when a group of people tried to enter the Red Zone in support of Mumtaz Qadri, the man on trial for the murder of slain Governor Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... Salman Taseer. An appeal for Mumtaz Qadri was being held at the Supreme Court on Monday. The police say in addition to Islamabad and Rawalpindi natives, people from Gujranwala had also made attempts to reach the court. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code for unlawful assembly had been enforced across the capital. The police say they were directed to take action against supporters and that suspicious individuals should be taken into custody. Security was tightened at all checkpoints amid reports that a large number of people would reach the Supreme Court during Qadri's appeal against a conviction and the death sentence. Capital police units were deployed along roads including four reserves at Nadra Chowk, two at D-Chowk and one on Agha Khan Road. Khayaban-e-Suhrawardy was closed off from Attaturk Avenue onwards. Traffic moving towards Constitution Avenue was diverted to Shahrah-e-Jamhuriat. As many as 47, including Mufti Hanif Qureshi and Mufti Akbar Hussain, were tossed in the calaboose ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... from Nadra Chowk. Another 50 people were taken into custody from Aabpara. Cases against the arrested men have been registered under Article 188 of the Pakistain Penal Code. The police say security measures will remain in place in and around the Red Zone on Tuesday to intercept supporters of Mumtaz Qadri.

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India-Pakistan

Rangers detain 'hitmen of a political party' for three months

2015-10-05

[DAWN] Pakistain Rangers, Sindh, informed an antiterrorism court on Saturday about the 90-day preventive detention of two suspected hitmen, said to be associated with a political party, for questioning. The paramilitary soldiers along with their legal team produced the two suspects -- Akbar Hussain alias Kala and Konain Hyder Rizvi -- in the chamber of Judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso of the ATC-I amid tight security. The MQM, meanwhile, said that Akbar Hussain was a party worker who was picked up from his Federal B Area residence some 15 days ago and today "falsely implicated in the killing of Haq Parast politicians". A Rangers law officer, through an application, stated that the suspects were picked up in Gulshan-e-Maymar upon receiving credible information about their involvement in assassinations and other offences which came with the ambit of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Therefore, he informed the court that they were placed under three-month preventive detention under Section 11-EEEE of the ATA for an inquiry. In compliance with Section 11 EEEE (3) of the ATA, the detainees were produced along with their detention orders and jail warrants for the information of the court, he added. While the Rangers did not mention any specific charges against the two suspects before the ATC judge, a front man for the paramilitary force claimed in a statement that the duo were affiliated with a political party and one of them was involved in the killing of two Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... politicians in 2010 and 2013. The front man said that suspect Akbar Hussain was allegedly involved in 12 cases of assassinations, including the liquidation of two members of provincial assembly, Raza Haider and Sajid Qureshi. The suspect was also involved in four cracker attacks on the MQM camps during the 2013 general election in Azizabad, Nazimabad, Mukka Chowk and Yousuf Plaza, he said, adding that he carried out such acts "on direction of MQM (A) leadership for getting public sympathy".

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India-Pakistan

More than 8,000 suspected militants arrested: Balochistan govt

2015-09-17

[DAWN] The Home Secretary of Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... , Akbar Hussain Durrani, on Wednesday stated that provincial law enforcement agencies have tossed in the slammer Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! more than 8,000 suspected holy warriors after the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP). "A total of 204 bad boyz were potted by security forces during different operations and raids in the province," said Durrani. He further added that out of the 204 bandidos Death Eaters killed, around 100 were high-profile terrorists. The home secretary also stated that 1,840 intelligence based operations (IBO) have been conducted in Balochistan after the implementation of NAP.

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India-Pakistan

Suicide blast at Quetta's Brewery road kills two

2015-07-18

[DAWN] At least two people were killed in a suicide kaboom near Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University at Quetta's Brewery road late on Friday. Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani said that the bomber attempted to enter Quetta's Hazara town area but was intercepted by security personnel. He added that the interception forced the attacker, who was wearing women's clothes, to prematurely detonate his explosives. Durrani also hailed the efforts of the security guard. Hazara Town is a locality populated mainly by the ethnic Hazara Shia minority which has been targeted by holy warrior bully boy groups. Bomb Disposal Squad officials who arrived at the spot earlier had also confirmed that the kaboom was carried out by a jacket wallah and that seven to eight kilograms of kaboom was used in the blast. Security sources claimed that those killed in the attack included the attacker and the security guard who had intercepted the 25-year-old bomber. Rescue personnel reached the spot and shifted the victims to a nearby hospital.

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India-Pakistan

Pakistan Forces Kill 3 Terrorists in Quetta

2015-07-09

[ALMANAR.LB] Pak paramilitary forces killed three suspected Death Eaters, including a senior commander, in the country's restive southwest on Tuesday, officials said, following two days of deadly attacks on civic points. Tuesday's raid in Quetta in Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... province - which has been racked by sectarian violence in recent years - came as authorities incarcerated Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! 39 suspected turbans in a separate operation. "Our forces raided a compound in the eastern outskirts of Quetta today and killed three Death Eaters," a front man for the Frontier Corps ...a provincial paramilitary force. Total manpower is about 80,000. They are tasked to help local law enforcement in the maintenance of law and order, and to carry out border patrol and anti-smuggling operations.... (FC) force said, adding that troops seized eight hand grenades and five small machine guns. "One of the dead turbans has been identified as Mehmood Rind who was chief of Jaish-ul-Islam (Arabic translation of Islam army) takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... group in Balochistan," Akbar Hussain Durrani, the provincial home secretary, said. A night market bombing in the city on Sunday killed one and maimed eight, and was claimed by both Jaish-ul-Islam and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... , another high profile takfiri group. The blast was followed Monday by the gunning down of two brothers at a passport office and a policeman who was at the scene. Police and paramilitary forces have rounded up 39 suspects in connection with Monday's shooting, the FC front man said.

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India-Pakistan

Two Hazara brothers shot dead in Quetta sectarian attack

2015-07-08

[DAWN] Two brothers belonging to the Shia Hazara community and a policeman were bumped off here on Monday. Three other people, a woman among them, were maimed when a group of men fired indiscriminately on them near the passport office in the Joint Road area. Police said at least one attacker was injured when the policeman who had been hit by a bullet and later died, fired back. The constable was identified as Kala Khan. He was going to the offices of a private TV channel where he had been deployed for security duty. "Four members of a family belonging to the Shia Hazara community and other people were standing outside the passport office when they came under attack," Capital City Police officer Abdul Razzak Cheema said. Another police official said the masked assailants used advanced weapons. Police and Frontier Corps ...a provincial paramilitary force. Total manpower is about 80,000. They are tasked to help local law enforcement in the maintenance of law and order, and to carry out border patrol and anti-smuggling operations.... personnel and rescue teams took the dead and the injured to the Civil Hospital where doctors said that the dear departed had been hit in the head. Those who had suffered serious injuries were transferred to the Combined Military Hospital where they were in the Intensive Care Unit. The dear departed brothers were identified as Hassan Hazara and Shabbir Hazara and the injured as Naimatullah, Khuda-e-Dost and Fatima Bibi. Soon after the incident, shops in the area downed their shutters. Law-enforcement agencies cordoned off the area to look for the assailants. Police termed it a sectarian attack and said that a "sectarian group may be behind the incident". Later, a large number of people took the bodies to the IG Police Office and held a sit-in. They shouted slogans against police and other law-enforcement agencies for their failure to provide security and protection to the Hazara community. The Hazara Democratic Party, the Anjuman Wahdatul Moslemeen, the Shia Ulema Council and other organizations and members of the civil society condemned the killings and demanded immediate arrest of the killers. AFP adds: The brothers were entering the passport office along with their parents when the waiting gunnies opened fire. "The boys, in their twenties, were killed in the shooting while their parents were maimed and a policeman who was passing by the site was also killed after he shot and maimed one attacker," CPO Abdul Razzak Cheema said. He added that two gunnies were involved in the shooting but they had others to assist them in escaping the scene. Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani confirmed the casualties. Police later said they had locked away Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! the maimed suspect who claimed that he was not with the attacker but just a passerby. No group immediately grabbed credit for the shooting.

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India-Pakistan

Gunmen storm two coaches near Mastung, butcher 19 passengers

2015-05-31

[DAWN] QUETTA: Armed men kidnapped about two dozen passengers from two Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... -bound coaches and killed at least 19 of them in Khad Kocha, a mountainous area about 70km southeast of the lovely provincial capital, in Mastung district, on Friday night. "The gunnies killed 19 of the passengers after taking them to the nearby mountains," Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti told Dawn. He said the attackers were wearing uniform of security forces. He said that after receiving information security forces rushed to the area and pursued the kidnappers. "Security forces found the bodies of 19 passengers in the mountains," he said, adding that security personnel succeeded in freeing five passengers from the kidnappers. "Exchange of fire between security forces and the gunnies continues in the mountains of Mastung," he said. Mr Bugti said the bodies had been shifted to hospital and efforts were being made to ascertain their identity. The driver of one of the coaches was injured in the firing and brought to Sandeman Civil Hospital in Quetta. He said the gunnies signalled him to stop the bus and when he tried to speed away they opened indiscriminate fire. The passengers, including labourers and traders, were coming from Pishin and Quetta and going to Karachi. Balochistan Home Secretary retired Capt Akbar Hussain Durrani told Dawn that the kidnappers had taken away about 30 passengers and later freed five of them at a distance from the road. "All the passengers belonged to Pishin district and were going to Karachi," he said. Security forces launched an operation against the kidnappers and reports suggested that five passengers who were made hostage by the gunnies were freed. The heavy gunbattle continued till late in the night. According to sources, the gunnies intercepted the two coaches in Kund Umrani area of Khad Kocha in Mastung district and asked the passengers to get down. Officials told Dawn that the federal government had provided two helicopters for the operation against the kidnappers. They said that taking advantage of darkness, the kidnappers beat feet from the area, taking the passengers along with them, and hid in the mountains.

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India-Pakistan

Quetta killings: Grand operation to be launched, says Bugti

2015-05-28

[DAWN] Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... government has decided to launch a grand operation against hit mans and snuffies in the aftermath of rise in acts of assassinations in the lovely provincial capital. Nine people have been killed during last four days in various incidents of assassinations in the city. "We will bring the killers to book," Home Minister Balochistan, Sarfaraz Bugti said at late night emergency presser on Wednesday. Balochistan Police Chief Muhammad Amlaish Khan and Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani flanked the minister during the news conference. Mr. Bugti informed the media persons that seven miscreants were placed in durance vile Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! during various raids and weapons were recovered from their possession in Quetta. "Police are interrogating the miscreants", he said. The home minister reached Quetta following the instructions of Chief Minister Dr. Malik Baloch on Wednesday after repeated incidents of assassinations in the lovely provincial capital.

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India-Pakistan

Bomb Blast Kills Three in Southwest Pakistan

2015-04-27

[ALMANAR.LB] Three people were killed and 20 injured when a bomb planted on a cycle of violence went kaboom! Sunday in Pakistain's restive southwestern province of Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... , officials said. The bomb went off in the town of Sibi 130 kilometers (81 miles) southeast of the picturesque provincial capital Quetta. Senior police official Ghulam Ali Baluch, who gave the casualty toll, said two of the injured are at death's door. "The bomb was planted in a cycle of violence. We are investigating the possible targets but we have not found any specific target yet," Baluch said. Senior administration official Akbar Hussain Durrani confirmed the incident.

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India-Pakistan

Clashes in Southwest Pakistan Kill Two Soldiers, Five Rebels

2015-04-22

[AnNahar] Two paramilitary soldiers and five hard boyz were killed in gunbattles on Tuesday in Pakistain's restive southwestern province of Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... , officials said, highlighting the challenges to a huge Chinese investment project. The first clash was in Gwadar district, where Beijing has taken over a deepwater seaport that will be the starting point of a $46 billion "economic corridor" of roads, pipelines and rail links to Kashgar in western China. Insurgents fired rockets at the air traffic control tower of Pasni airport in Gwadar district late on Monday, causing some damage but no casualties, paramilitary Frontier Corps front man Manzoor Ahmed told AFP. Security forces mounted a search after the attack and this culminated in a gunbattle with hard boyz in the Zarin Bogh area, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Gwadar. "Two soldiers were martyred and an turban was killed and another captured in a clash with security forces," Ahmed said. Provincial home secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani confirmed the clash. Sarbaz Baloch, a front man for the Baloch Liberation Army rebel group, grabbed credit for attack on the airport in a call to journalists. Separately, hard boyz attacked security forces in the Mashqay area of Awaran district, with troops killing four turbans, security officials told AFP. Earlier this month the Balochistan Liberation Front claimed an attack in the province that left 20 construction workers from elsewhere in Pakistain dead, the bloodiest separatist incident since 2006. Resource-rich Balochistan is the largest of Pakistain's four provinces, but its roughly seven million inhabitants have long complained they do not receive a fair share of its gas and mineral wealth. Rebels began their fifth insurgency against the state in 2004, with hundreds of soldiers and Death Eaters killed in the fighting since then. The desperately poor province is also riven by sectarian strife and Islamist violence.

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