59 killed, 116 injured as militants storm police training centre in Quetta

Quetta: At least 59 police recruits were martyred and 116 people, including recruits and FC personnel, were injured after terrorists stormed the Police Training College located on Sariab road here late Monday night.

Talking to the media, Balochistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti said the operation has been completed by security forces that fought valiantly against the terrorists. “700 police recruits were present at the time of the attack. One terrorist was killed by the security forces while two others blew themselves up. A clearance operation has also been successfully completed.” Bugti added

Talking to the media IG FC Major General Sher Afghan informed that the attackers acted on directions from Afghanistan and the initial investigation suggests that the terrorists were affiliated with Lashkar-e- Jhangvi Al Almi.

According to the Hospital sources, at least 57 dead bodies have been shifted to different hospitals while 116 people including police recruits and several Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were injured in the terrorist attack.

The sources said that three terrorists were killed and 250 police recruits freed after the attack.

Unknown assailants stormed the hostel of the police training centre and opened fire on the recruits. There were reports of sporadic gunfire by the assailants.

Sources said that the injured were shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta and CMH, hospital; they included recruits, who attempted to flee the centre as terrorists waged the attack.

Emergency was imposed in the hospitals across the provincial capital.

Heavy contingents of police and Frontier Corps reached the spot and surrounded the vicinity. Pakistan Army, FC troops, as well as police commandos cleared the hostels.

A recruit who witnessed the entire situation said nearly four militants barged into the training centre around 9:30 PM and opened indiscriminate fire. “Then, they entered into the barracks,” he said.

Earlier, Chief Minister Balochistan Sanaullah Zehri said terrorists had attacked the training centre located in the suburbs of Quetta. He said there were prior intelligence reports of an attack and security was put on high alert. “I am myself monitoring the situation. Our forces have entered the centre and soon these terrorists will be eliminated,” Zehri had said.

The attack came a day after separatist gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead two coast guards and a civilian and wounded a shopkeeper in Gwadar.

In August, a suicide bombing at a Quetta hospital claimed by the Islamic State group and the Jamaatul Ahrar faction of the Pakistani Taliban killed 73 people, including many of the city’s lawyer community who had gone there to mourn the fatal shooting of a colleague.

Web Desk

Published in The Balochistan Point on October 24, 2016