61 killed, over 120 wounded

COAS ANNOUNCES GALLANTRY AWARDS FOR MARTYRED ARMY PERSONNEL

IS claims responsibility while local authorities blame LeJ

Balochistan government announces three-day mourning

IG FC says communication intercepts show terrorists were getting instructions from Afghanistan

Prime Minister, COAS visit hospital to inquire after injured of the attack

In one of the deadliest terrorist attacks this year, heavily-armed militants wearing suicide vests stormed a police academy in Quetta late on Monday night, killing at least 60 people and wounding more than 120 others, security officials and rescuers said on Tuesday.

According to reports, hundreds of trainees were stationed at the police training centre on the city outskirts when three masked gunmen stormed in at around 11:10 pm, targeting the security guard at the watch tower and then cadets at the dormitory. Most of the deaths were caused when two of the attackers blew themselves up. The third was shot dead by Frontier Corps (FC) troops. Some cadets were taken hostage during the raid, which lasted nearly five hours. Most of the dead were cadets. “They just barged in and started firing point-blank. We started screaming and running around in the barracks,” one police cadet who survived told media.

Other cadets spoke of jumping out of windows and cowering under beds as the attackers hunted them down. Video footage from inside one of the barracks showed blackened walls and rows of charred beds.

The injured cadets were ferried to Civil Hospital and Balochistan Medical Complex, while those in critical condition were shifted to Quetta’s Combined Military Hospital.

ISLAMIC STATE CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY, AUTHORITIES BLAME LEJ: Militant group Islamic State said that fighters loyal to its movement had attacked the police training college in southwest Pakistan, while local authorities blamed the siege on Al-Alimi faction of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) based on communication intercepts.

Islamic State’s Amaq news agency published the claim of responsibility with photographs of three alleged attackers, saying they “used machine guns and grenades, then blew up their explosive vests in the crowd”.

Balochistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti confirmed that three attackers had attacked the dormitory where cadets rested and slept. “Two attackers blew themselves up, while a third was shot in the head by security men,” he added.

Major General Sher Afgan, the chief of the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary, which led the counter-operation, said that “the attack was over in around four hours after we arrived”.

He said that calls intercepted between the attackers and their handlers suggested they were from the LeJ. “We came to know from the communication intercepts that there were three militants who were getting instructions from Afghanistan,” Afgan said, adding that the Al Alimi faction of LeJ was behind the attack.

The IG said that “there were three terrorists and all of them were wearing suicide vests”. “Two suicide attackers blew themselves up, which resulted in casualties, while the third one was shot dead by our troops,” said the IG.

He said the operation needed to be conducted with precision therefore it took them four hours to clear the area completely.

The area plunged into darkness when the counter-offensive was launched, while security personnel threw a cordon and ambulances zoomed in and out, taking the injured to hospitals. Military helicopters circled overhead.

The police academy situated on Saryab Road has come under attack in the past in 2008 and 2006, with attackers firing rockets into the college playground.

Separately, a senior security official said assailants had fired at the police training centre from five different points.

“Two terrorist entered the premises after shooting at the guard manning the check post near the front gate, while the third reportedly climbed the rear wall of the police centre,” SSP Operations Mohammad Iqbal said, adding that the suicide vest of one attacker did not detonate and his body was lying at the centre premises. An eyewitness speaking to reporters after making a narrow escape said he saw three terrorists directly entering the barracks. “They started firing. We saw them and started screaming. We ran upstairs towards an exit,” he said, adding that the terrorists were covered in shawls.

PM, COAS INQUIRE ABOUT HEALTH OF INJURED PERSONS: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif travelled to Quetta and took part in a special security meeting on Tuesday afternoon, the PM’s Office said.

The two also visited the Civil Hospital to inquire about the well being of the injured. The prime minister, on the occasion, directed the authorities to provide all possible medical assistance to the injured personnel.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri, who accompanied the prime minister to the hospital, said those responsible for the attack would be brought to book, adding that he was personally monitoring the security situation at the moment.

Zehri, speaking to a private TV channel, said the government had received intelligence reports a couple of days earlier of the presence of a couple of militants who had entered Quetta to carry out subversive activities.

Zehri said that as soon as the government had received intelligence reports of the presence of militants in the city, Quetta had been put on high alert. Zehri also announced three-day mourning to express solidarity with the families of the victims. Also, COAS General Raheel Sharif accompanied by DG ISI Lt-Gen Rizwan Akhtar and DG MI Major General Nadeem Zaki Manj, visited the Quetta Police Training College where he was given a detailed briefing on the terrorist attack.

The army chief also met police officials, army and Frontier Corps troops who carried out the operation to eliminate the attackers.

The COAS appreciated the morale, courage and determination of security personnel for preventing further damage and saving several lives.

Meanwhile, the Inter-Services Public Relations said that an army captain, Roohullah, was among the people who embraced martyrdom during the attack. Roohullah, a resident of Shabqadar, was an elite army commando and he will be awarded Tamgha-e-Jurat. The captain embraced martyrdom during the operation at the police academy.

Meanwhile, funeral prayers for those martyred in the attack were offered in Quetta on Tuesday. The funeral prayers were attended among others by army chief General Raheel Sharif, Inter-Services Intelligence Director General LtGen Rizwan Akhtar, Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri and other top civilian and military officials.