More than 150 killed in explosion of oil tanker in Pakistan

An oil tanker overturned on the main highway from Karachi to Lahore and locals ran to collect the spilled fuel when there was an explosion and more than 150 are believed to have been killed in the tragedy. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif cut short his visit to London and arrived at the scene to visit console the survivors.
This has been reported in zeenewws.com dated 26 June 2017.

The overturned truck had spilled nearly 40,000 litres of fuel and the explosion happened even as the crowds were advised to move away from the area but they ignored the warnings. The driver of the vehicle survived the crash and was later taken into custody by the police.
It was a tragedy on the eve of the festival of Eid.


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Terrror attacks in Pakistan kill at least 61

Pakistan faced a number of terror attacks on three Pakistani cities on Friday that left at least 61 people dead and many injured. A suicide bomber in the city of Quetta killed at least 12 people and injured about 20.
Subsequently, there were twin blasts in a congested market in the city of Parachinar. This is the main city in the Kurram tribal region and at least 45 people were killed in this blast. There was another attack by a gunmen in the port city of Karachi - this attack at a roadside restaurant killed four.
The attacks have taken place ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid, which ends the holy month of Ramadan.
This has been reported in latimes.com dated 24 June 2017.

After the Quetta attack, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility. Later, the Islamic State extremist group also said it was behind the attack. To prove its claim, it released a photograph of the alleged attacker and identified the individual as well.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Bomb blast in Lahore upscale shopping centre kills at least 10

It was a bomb blast in an upscale shopping centre in Lahore that killed at least 10 people and is the latest attack in a surge of violence that has shaken the country. The intensity of the blast smashed the windows of most of the nearby buildings. It was in a residential neighbourhood where there are banks and coffee shops.
The bomb that was detonated either remotely or by a timer and it has resulted in a huge crater at the site.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 24 February 2017.

Such militant attacks are not new in Pakistan. In recent weeks such attacks has taken a toll of at least 130 people. One of the attacks was in a Sufi shrine in southern Sindh province where 90 people were killed. Government and military officials are determined to hunt down militants across the country. Pakistan has already shut its border with Afghanistan and, after the shrine bombing, Pakistani security forces are believed to have eliminated more than 100 suspected militants in targeted campaigns across the country.


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Suicide bomb attack kills at least 72 in a Sufi shrine in Pakistan

A suicide bomb attacked in the crowded Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan has killed at least 72 persons and wounded dozens more. The attack was carried out by the Islamic State and it is believed to have been the deadliest one on the wave of bombings across Pakistan this week.
The Islamic State militant group which has a small but increasingly prominent presence in Pakistan and has claimed responsibility for the attack.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 17 February 2017.

While the death toll was indicated as 72, with more than 150 injured, the death toll could rise.
The attack on the famous Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in the town of Sehwan Sharif has reveal that militants still pose a major threat to stability in the nuclear-armed country of 190 million people. In August last year, at least 74 people, mostly lawyers, were killed in a suicide bombing of a hospital in Quetta. Responsibility for that attack was claimed by a faction of the Pakistani Taliban - Jamaat-ur-Ahrar - and the IS.
Moreover, Jamaat also claimed responsibility for a bombing in Lahore in which 13 people died.


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Pakistani terrorists use ladder to climb over the electrified fence at the LoC

Four Pakistani terrorists had gained entry into India by using a ladder to climb over the electrified fence at the LoC - they then massacred 19 soldiers in cold blood in the Army camp of Uri last month.
Investigations carried out by the Army have brought to light the fact that one of the four terrorists who mounted the brazen attack in Uri, about 102 km from Srinagar, first infiltrated into Indian territory by taking advantage of the gaps along the fence near the Salamabad nallah. He then erected a ladder on the Indian side of the fence. The other three had a ladder on their side and the two ladders were connected like a pedestrian bridge.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 17 October 2016.

They used this method because it was difficult for all the four to infiltrate through the gap used by the first terrorist since each of them carried heavy rucksacks filled with ammunition, weapons and eatables.
After infiltrating into India, they handed over the ladder to the guides who had accompanied them up to the LoC to ensure that there were no tell-tale signs.
The Army is conducting an inquiry at Gohallan and adjoining village Jablah because they suspect that the terrorists might have holed up there before they carried out the attack on September 18.


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Suicide bomb attack in Pakistani mosque during Friday prayers kill at least 25

A suicide bomb attack in a Pakistani mosque during Friday prayers has killed at least 25 and more than 35 worshipers were left injured when a huge blast destroyed the building. The incident happened in the Mohmand tribal area of the country's north west that is bordering Afghanistan.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 16 September 2016.

The mosque was packed with people attending Friday prayers and the attacker shouted 'Allahu Akbar' before detonating an explosive vest. The explosion brought a portion of the building, including its veranda collapsed crushing worshipers below. Bodies are still being hauled out of the rubble and the death toll could rise.
Local tribal elder feels that the attack may have been carried out by Islamist militants who are seeking revenge after local tribesmen gathered a volunteer force and killed one and captured another insurgent.
Regarding security in Pakistan, the military says 'terrorist incidents' have reduced from 128 in 2013 to 74 last year and Islamist extremists continue to stage major attacks. Killing of 74 people including lawyers in the city of Quetta last month was an attack claimed by both the Islamic State and Jamaat-ur-Ahrar which is a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban. The Jamaat-ur-Ahrar also claimed the Easter Sunday bombing in a park in the eastern city of Lahore in which 72 people were killed - many of them were children.


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Suicide bomb and gun attacks in northwestern Pakistan leave at least 13 dead

Suicide bomb and gun attacks in northwestern Pakistan leave at least 13 dead and 54 others injured. A suicide bomber shot his way through the main gate leading to the district court in the city of Mardan, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and threw a hand grenade before detonating his suicide vest among the morning crowds. Many of the wounded are in a critical condition and death toll could increase.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 2 September 2016.

As revealed by a senior police official, the bomber had up to eight kilogrammes of explosives packed into his vest. The dead included lawyers, police personnel and civilians.
On Friday, a group of militants had stormed a Christian neighborhood near Warsak Dam, just north of Peshawar. Four of the militants wore suicide vests and entered the colony and one of them went into a church, but it was empty. But, the attackers killed one Christian. The suicide bombers were later killed by soldiers backed by army helicopters in an exchange of gunfire. Three security officials and two civilian guards were also wounded in the attacks.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed responsibility for both attacks. It has also admitted that it was behind a massive suicide blast three weeks ago in which a number of lawyers wee killed in the southwestern city of Quetta, apart from the Lahore Easter bombing that killed 75 people.


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Bomb blast in Quetta civil hospital leave at least 30 dead

A powerful bomb blast in the premises of a government-run hospital in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta has left at least 30 dead with dozens more wounded. The blast happened shortly after the body of a prominent lawyer, who had been killed in a shooting attack earlier in the day, was brought to the hospital.
This has been reported in abcnews.go.com dated 8 August 2016.

It seems nearly 100 lawyers and other people had gathered there at the time and most of the dead were lawyers who had gathered after the body of Bilal Kasi was brought to the hospital. A reporter of a Pakistani news channel has revealed that one of the victims was its cameraman. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, which struck at the gates of the building housing the emergency ward, on the hospital grounds.
Lawyer Bilal Kasi was gunned down on his way to court earlier in the day and it is not yet known whether the death of the lawyer and the bombing were related in any way.


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Bomb blast in Peshawar bus kills 15, leaves 30 injured

A powerful bomb blast in a bus carrying government employees in Pakistan's Peshawar city left at least 15 people dead and 30 others injured. The incident happened when a bomb placed inside the bus exploded and the bus was packed with government employees who had reached Peshawar from Mardan.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 16 March 2016.

The bomb had exploded when the private bus was on Sunehri Masjid Road and was taking civil secretariat employees for duty. The bus had 50 people on board at the time of the explosion and two women and a child were among the dead. At least 30 people were injured in the blast.
The blast had been triggered by an improvised explosive device (IED) planted inside the bus and, it is estimated that about 8-Kg of explosives were used in blast. The roof of the bus had blown off and people are being pulled out after cutting the damaged portion.
The injured have been shifted to nearby Lady Reading hospital and the condition of a majority of those injured was stated to be critical. Eight of them have been admitted in ICU.
Peshawar is home to the XI Corps which is an administrative corp of the Pakistan Army. It manages all military activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is, at present, engaged in a full-blown operation against militants in North Waziristan.


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India had appealed to the US to refrain from supplying F-16 fighter planes to Pakistan but, it now appears that the deal is going through and that the US government has formally notified the intended sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. The deal is in its final stages.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 6 March 2016.

Pakistan adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had indicated in a news briefing in Washington earlier this week that Pakistan had initially requested for 18 F-16s. However, in view of financing problems, it was purchasing just eight. The total cost of the deal would be nearly $700 million. He also added that the F-16s were a critical tool in the war against terrorism.
The US justified the sale as a part of US foreign policy objectives and national security goals because the objective is to help improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia.
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The US has justified its actions by saying that the additional F-16 aircraft in the hands of Pakistan would facilitate operations in non-daylight environments and "enhance Pakistan`s ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations".


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#bachakhanuniversity #pakistan #taliban At least 19 persons have been killed in an attack on Bacha Khan University in Pakistan - a Taliban commander has claimed responsibility for the attack. Four of the attackers are believed to have been killed at the campus building situated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in northwest Pakistan.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 20 January 2016.

It seems the militants were wielding AK-47s and used the cover of a thick, wintry fog to scale the walls of the University in the town of Charsadda, located about 30-Km from the city of Peshawar. Once inside, they began indiscriminate firing on teachers and students in classrooms before engaging in a three-hour gun-battle with police and soldiers.
There were explosions from inside the campus and female students ran for their lives while relatives waited at the gates. Most of the victims were shot dead at a hostel for male students on the campus site and, as per official figures, around 50 had been wounded and the number of dead could rise to as high as 40. At least one lecturer of chemistry is among those who lost their lives. He had tried to shoot back at the militants.
There are more than 3,000 students in the University and it was hosting an extra 600 visitors for a poetry recital.

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#ISIS #Pakistan #Afghanistan There are reports that the top Islamic State leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan along with more than 30 other insurgents have been killed in a US drone strike in Nangarhar province of eastern Afghanistan.
This is as per information of the Afghan intelligence officials as reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 11 July 2015.

It seems Hafiz Saeed Khan, a former Taliban leader who defected to ISIS, was killed in the drone attack – this has been revealed by a spokesman for Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security. The Afghan intelligence officials had made available the necessary information to the US forces who launched the strike accordingly.
The US side has confirmed that an airstrike was carried out in Nangarhar's Achin District and targeted 'individuals threatening the force' - but there is no confirmation about the death.
A second U.S. airstrike is reported to have killed Gull Zaman, believed to be the second-highest official in the local Islamic State affiliate, and Shahidullah Shahid, who is believed to be the group's chief spokesman in Afghanistan.
None of the deaths have been confirmed.
A number of drone strikes have been reported in Nangarhar over the past two weeks due to a joint US-Afghan military operation but the exact toll of casualties has not been disclosed.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Gunmen shoot dead 20 laborers in a dam construction site in Balochistan

#Balochistan #Turbat #Pakistan Unidentified gunmen have shot dead at least 20 laborers and left three injured at the construction site of a dam in Pakistan's restive southwestern Balochistan province. The incident happened in Gobdan area of the Turbat district. This is believed to be one of the most volatile parts of Balochistan which is a region where nationalist and separatist Baloch groups have been fighting against the state for over a decade demanding maximum autonomy.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 11 April 2015.

There are doubts about how the killing occurred. One version is that militants opened fire indiscriminately at the laborers while they were sleeping. Another version is that the laborers were lined up and shot at point blank range. It has also been reported that the eight paramilitary troops who were guarding the laborers had fled the scene when faced with such a large number of armed attackers.
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