A horrific ‘first response’ to discovering a body
Rescue workers used four dogs - Charlie, Senator, Saaghir and Queen. The dogs were provided by a Pakistan Army unit in Rawalpindi. PHOTO: RASHID AJMERI/EXPRESS
It was the first time we decided to visit the site of a bomb blast as First Responders to help in the rescue operation. After completing our usual duty at Civil hospital, we reached the bombed CID office at 11 pm.
The roads leading from Karachi Club were covered with shattered glass. Police had blocked the entrance at the KC intersection and it was pitch black everywhere. We walked to the site, nearly 500 metres away, and turned into the lane which led to the CID complex.
The smell of burnt gunpowder and explosive lingered in the air.
As we entered the street, the rows of ambulances, law-enforcement agency vehicles and those from the CDGK and fire department had blocked the entrance. But the real shock was yet to come. The moment we set our eyes on the CID building, I was in a state of complete awe. The level of devastation was unimaginable. As far as my eyes could see, every structure was destroyed or damaged.
The rows of concrete blocks had been tossed into the air and had landed in different directions. You couldn’t even tell what had happened to the entrance.
As shock turned to belief, we rushed ahead to where the rescue search was underway. We passed through all levels of security and entered the CID building. The crater from the blast was the most terrifying sight. It was around 15 feet, cone-shaped and nearly a third full of water haemorrhaging from a broken pipeline. The explosion was so intense that the police vans and cars had been flung into the air and had landed at a distance on top of other private vehicles. The ones that were parked had bullet holes all over.
We saw the rescue team Janbaz Pakistan putting its sniffer dog to work.
The rest of the public, plainclothed members of the CID office, a bunch of media persons and many police, scouts and rangers personnel milled about the site. The other police and a great number of private guards and plainclothes policemen accompanied individuals (some high-ranking officers) who visited from time to time and took pictures.
And then came a shout from one of the rescue personnel. “There’s a body here!” And before we knew it, 50 or so workers from Chippa, Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation, Edhi and the Aman Foundation etc. jumped to the spot and started digging. It was madness. We wanted to assess the patient, check if he was breathing and if there were chances of saving him. But we were elbowed aside by these ambulance men. We witnessed the most gruesome fight to take the body out and cover it with one of the white sheets bearing the KKF, Edhi or Chippa names. These men pushed each other, hurled abuse and fought to gain control of the body.
The media caused more confusion and havoc. Cameramen poured into the site to get a first glimpse of the retrieved body. These men also pushed away the rescue workers from another organisation who were trained and equipped. They pushed to get the best spots for their cameras and not once cared to act responsibly. We tried to make our way through, but were pushed back every time. We shouted at them to allow us to assess and rescue the person, but somehow these ambulance men knew he was dead. It is safe to say that even if the victim were alive, he would have stood a slim chance of surviving after being manhandled amid a complete lack of safety protocols. This battle for the body continued till it was taken to the ambulance.
This brings me to why I am writing this. The ambulance services are doing a commendable job in their own capacity, but their personnel are untrained, indisciplined and they lack a complete sense of moral duty. I had never imagined it would get down to such an inhuman battle to score the highest number of bodies.
Surely this manpower and enthusiasm can be channeled more productively. If these young, daring men could be taught the principles of First Response, Triage, Basic Life support and team work, we could be looking at very efficient Disaster Management. But who is willing to do it? Morality is overshadowed by scoring; reporting is taken over by commercialism. As part of the healthcare community and as a Certified First Responders, we are willing to train people to manage such situations. The question is are you?
The writer is a 4th year MBBS student and a Certified First Responder
Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2010.
CCTV footage of terrorist truck obtained
Screen capture of CCTV footage of the truck used in the attack.
KARACHI: Footage from CCTV cameras in Karachi have identified the explosive-laden truck used in the Crime Investigations Department (CID) building in Karachi. The footage obtained by Express 24/7 shows the truck driving down a road on the way to the CID building.
The Shehzore vehicle was reportedly roaming around the streets prior to the attack reported Ahmed Jung for 24/7.
Meanwhile, CCTV cameras installed directly outside the Crime Investigations Department (CID) building in Karachi, which was bombed Thursday night, could not record the incident due to suspension of electricity.
The Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation (KESC) had cut off electricity supply to the central police office where a control room monitors the CCTV cameras installed outside sensitive buildings. The power was cut off due to non payment of dues worth millions of rupees.
Police officials said important clues could have been gathered had the CCTV footage been recorded.
Lashkar-i-Jhangvi behind the blast: Malik
Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Friday claimed the blast was carried out by the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi.
Talking to the media outside the Parliament House, the interior minister said despite Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) claims, he believed that the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi is responsible for the attack.
The death toll of the explosion has risen to 17 as some of the injured succumbed to their wounds, while the police informed that up to 1,000 kg of explosives were used in the attack.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah announced compensation for the relatives of those killed and injured in the attack.
Meanwhile, in a bid to curb funding for terrorist organisations, the Punjab government has stopped 16 banned groups from collecting animal hides during Eid ul Azha.
US ambassador denounces terror act
United States (US) Ambassador Cameron Munter called on Rehman Malik, with both officials denouncing terrorist activities in Pakistan.
During the meeting that took place in Islamabad, Malik assured the ambassador of Pakistan’s cooperation in the war on terror.
The interior minister said the government and all the provinces are using all resources to combat terrorist organisations.
The US ambassador also assured American support to Pakistani security forces, saying the war against terrorists will continue.
======
FACTBOX-Pakistani military offensives versus militant attacks
12 Nov 2010 12:55:31 GMT
Source: Reuters
Nov 12 (Reuters) - More than 2,000 people have been killed in a wave of deadly attacks by Islamist militants in Pakistan since 2007.
A Reuters analysis of insurgent violence shows Taliban attacks increase in intensity and lethality as military operations against their sanctuaries increase. [ID:nSGE6A206K]
Here are some facts about military assaults and reprisal militant attacks in the country over the past four years.
2007
The Pakistan army assaulted Islamabad's Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, and an adjoining Islamist seminary in the heart of the capital to crush a militant movement. More than 100 people were killed in the operation. The assault triggered a wave of suicide and bomb attacks across Pakistan that killed nearly 500 people by the end of the year. The worst attack was on a procession welcoming former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in October on her return from eight years of exile that killed 139 people.
2008
Militant violence ebbed as military offensives diminished because of political turmoil in the country over demands for former military President Pervez Musharraf to step down. Around 370 people were killed in militant violence throughout the year.
2009
The Pakistani army launched its biggest operation so far against militants in the northwestern Swat Valley and their South Waziristan bastion. Around 750 people were killed in mass-casualty strikes that year. The deadliest was in a crowded market place in the northwestern city of Peshawar that killed more than 100 people.
2010
Security forces launched operations in the Orakzai tribal region and nearby areas where militants fleeing a crackdown in South Waziristan and Swat have taken refuge. While more than 600 people have been killed in major militant attacks, military operations have practically stopped since August's massive floods diverted troops to relief efforts. More than 100 people were killed in the worst suicide bombing of the year outside the office of a senior government official in Mohmand tribal region.
(Reporting by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Sugita Katyal)
(For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/places/pakistan.
Bomb and gun attack rocks Karachi
From the Newspaper
(3 hours ago) Today
By S. Raza Hassan
karachi attack 543 Bomb and gun attack rocks Karachi
People escorting the injured after a powerful bomb blast occurred outside CID Office Civil Line in Karachi.—Online
KARACHI: At least 17 people were killed and over 100 injured in a massive bombing that was preceded by a shootout and grenade attack at the Crime Investigation Department (CID) offices in Civil Lines on Thursday night.
Among the dead was a woman from an adjoining neighbourhood, policemen posted in the CID and some personnel of the Frontier Constabulary deployed at a security post at the entrance of the offices located on the Beaumont Road.
The blast took place at around 8.20pm in what is supposed to be a most secure area of the city, at a walking distance from the Chief Minister’s House and two five-star hotels located on the Club Road.
Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza, who was among the first to reach the scene, said that the blast bore resemblance to Islamabad’s Marriott hotel blast of 2008.
Soon after the blast, the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility.
“Five or six attackers took out the guards present at the main entrance of the CID offices. One of them went inside the raised barrier and opened the gate. Meanwhile, policemen who were in the building opened retaliatory fire and the attackers rammed an explosives-laden truck of medium size into the second gate of the building,” a CID official told Dawn.
The structure, especially residential quarters located across the road and around the CID offices, were also razed to the ground by the impact of the blast, killing and wounding many residents.
The blast left a crater over 15 feet deep and 30 feet across.
“I ran for safety inside the offices after hearing what appeared to be a shootout between two sides. It lasted 10 to 15 minutes, during which a small explosion also took place, and was followed by a massive blast”, said Abdul Razzaq, a labourer who was doing a paint job at the home of SP Naeem Shaikh, which caved in after the explosion.
A mosque located inside the premises of the offices was badly damaged.
An official of the Special Investigation Group (SIG) said the quantity of explosives used in the blast was less than that used in the blast in Islamabad on Sept 20, 2008, but more than the Lahore blast of May 27 last year.
He estimated about 1,000kgs of explosives were packed into the truck.
He said the vehicle used in the attack could carry a maximum of 2,000kgs of load, but the explosives must have been camouflaged.
SSP Raja Umar Khattab, citing initial information, said the attackers had used a Shezore pick-up.
He said there was no restriction on movement of such truck at the place because a multi-storey building was being constructed in front of the CID offices.
A CID officer, who didn’t want to be named, said a lock-up had been damaged, but there was no suspect in it at the time.
Saddar SSP Javed Akbar Riaz told Dawn that the attackers might have used the M.T. Khan Road and turned towards the Beaumont Road leading to the CID offices, to avoid the PIDC traffic signal.
CCTV footage from cameras installed at the traffic intersection was being analysed to spot any suspect vehicle, the officer said.
Investigators also found a chassis number, of a pick-up, from the scene. Two bodies were recovered from the debris several hours after the blast when heavy machinery was employed.
The shockwave created by the explosion was so severe that the Met Office recorded a jolt measuring 1.3 on the Richter scale at 8.20pm.
Only a day earlier, the CID had disclosed the arrest of seven militants belonging to the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi.
“The men were involved in the murder of several Shia doctors in the city,” SSP Aslam Khan told journalists.
Citing initial interrogation of the suspects, he said they were planning to carry out bombings on a procession of the community in the city.
Karachi has seen a number of attacks since a Muharram procession was bombed on Dec 28 last year.
Another team of the CID police had also arrested a wanted militant in the city. Iqbal Khan is said to hail from Bajaur, where he was affiliated with the TTP.
Police officials said he was involved in the killings of security personnel and the bombing of army convoys in the tribal region.
Karachi explosion heard far and wide
From the Newspaper
(4 hours ago) Today
blast 543 Karachi explosion heard far and wide
People gather near damaged motorcycles which were destroyed in explosion.—APP
KARACHI: The CID offices and the buildings around them may have borne the brunt of Thursday’s blast, but areas as far off as Defence and Baldia were shaken by its resounding impact.
“It was an echoing blast that rattled the windows,” said Javed Shakoor, whose house is located in a sequestered lane off Khayabane Rahat in Defence Phase VI. “My wife thought it was a door banging.”
With last month’s Abdullah Ghazi shrine blast still fresh in the minds of Karachiites, comparisons were inevitable.
“The house shook, the windows shook. It was a dull blast, perhaps not as loud as the Abdullah Shah Ghazi mazar blast,” said a resident of Block 4 Clifton, who lives a stone’s throw from the saint’s last resting place. “Our watchman did not hear it, probably because the sound of the traffic drowned it outside.”
A pickup operator from Baldia Town 5 said he was standing with other drivers at the stand when they heard a considerably loud bang.
“We discussed what it could be. Most of us were convinced that it was a blast, but a couple of others dismissed it as a tyre burst and we got back to work,” said Peer Mohammad.
Hakeem Shah, associated with the armed forces and living in a first-floor house at Korangi Crossing, said when the building shook violently, he thought it was an earthquake.
Ali, an executive with a multinational firm having offices on Sharea Faisal, said the windowpanes of their offices violently rattled under the impact of the explosion, and they had no doubt that it was a bomb blast, maybe a little farther from their building.
Close to the site of the blast, a journalist, who had moved into her new Bath Island home on Thursday, spoke of shaking windows and banging doors.
“The intensity of the blast was massive. I had also heard the blast at the mazar which is a lot closer to my old home than my new one is to the current site of the explosion. This blast was a lot louder and stronger.”
For Amina, who lives in an apartment in Clifton Block 2, the blast was “like the rap of the wind on the windows — but there was something different about it.”
Being no stranger to blasts — she was yards away from the US consulate when it was targeted in 2002, and in the vicinity when a bomb exploded near the PIDC building some years ago — it “crossed my mind that it could be an explosion”. “It was like a patakha,” piped in her eight-year-old grandson.
Rehana Alam, who lives off Zamzama, near the Saudi consulate, said she was starting dinner when she heard “a really loud noise. We have Kashmiri servants who had experienced the 2005 earthquake. They thought it was the noise before the earthquake.”
Critical of the emergency response, she pointed out that the site of the explosion appeared to be in darkness. “They should have some standard operating procedures by now, a cadre of people who know what to do.”
Close to the blast site, Moez Bhora, a banker in the MCB Tower, said that building appeared to shake. “My friend heard it in Tariq Road,” he said.
However, Rukhsana, a young maid who lives in Shireen Jinnah Colony where there are congested shanty dwellings and where heavy oil tankers ply the roads, appeared not to have heard the blast. “What blast?” she asked, “was there a blast?”
Van used in Karachi bombing recovered
An investigator inspects the wreckage of a vehicle a day after a bomb blast in Karachi on November 12, 2010. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: The chassis number of the white Toyota van used in the Karachi bombing was identified on Friday as investigation teams combed the area.
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) department of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), along with officers of the Crime Investigation Department and police visited the blast site this morning.
Investigation teams found the white Toyota van used by militants to target the CID building and its chassis number identified.
All evidence has been sent to a forensic lab.
The police have not yet issued any sketches of the terrorists involved in the incident and a case against the incident had not been registered.
The attack on the Sindh police’s main investigation agency, the CID building, near PIDC, on Thursday night killed at least 16 people and injured more than 140. The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has taken responsibility for the blast.
Karachi blast: An audacious reprisal
Rescuers and security personnel work beside the crater at the blast site in Karachi. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: It was an audacious coordinated gun and car bomb suicide attack that was executed in the back alleys of what is referred to as the highest security zone in the city – mere metres away from the Sindh Chief Minister House and in the backyard of the most heavily guarded installations in the city.
The attack on the Sindh police’s main investigation agency, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) building, near PIDC, on Thursday night killed at least 16 people and injured more than 140. The department is also responsible for anti-terrorism operations, and the attacked building also houses the Anti-Extremism Cell.
Almost expectedly, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has taken responsibility for the blast.
Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack, which, he said, was in retaliation for US air strikes in the country’s northwestern tribal areas.
“It’s a reaction to the drone strikes and such attacks will continue until drone strikes are stopped,” he told Reuters. It was a coordinated and chillingly efficient strike.
According to Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza, around five to six people opened fire at the gate of the installation. Moments later, a vehicle packed with explosives forced its way into the premises, and made its way towards the main building, which houses key security officials’ offices.
The vehicle exploded just metres away from the building – setting off an explosion that was heard miles away. Though the skeleton of the building still stands, the facade was blown away by the intensity of the blast.
According to our reporter Hafeez Tunio, police sources said that the vehicle, registered in Peshawar, was carrying around 800 to 1,000 kilogrammes of explosive material.
The powerful explosion left a 10-foot deep and 50-foot wide crater outside the three-storey office building. Walls surrounding the high security zone were destroyed and window panes of nearby buildings were shattered by the impact. The area saw dozens of vehicles destroyed and damaged as rescue workers carried the dead and injured into ambulances.
The tremors of the blast were felt in Defence, II Chundrigar Road, Sharae Faisal and other areas across more than half the city. Roof of houses located just opposite the CID station in Civil Lines colony caved in, leaving several residents, most of whom worked as daily wagers, trapped inside. Houses in nearby Hijrat Colony were also damaged. The debris flung as far as the street leading towards the main gate of the Chief Minister House, which is located just 200 hundred yards away.
Witnesses said that, prior to the blast, a gun fight between heavily armed militants and security forces took place at around 8pm. Gulistan Lala, 60, said there were “terrifying sounds of fire that didn’t seem to come from a Kalashnikov, but something more sophisticated.” Lala said that the firing continued for at least 20 minutes before the explosion took place.
The blast plunged the entire area into darkness as smoke fumes engulfed the air. SSP Fayyaz Khan, whose office is located in the building, had left just before the attack occurred. His room was in flames.
A day earlier, he had announced the nabbing of a wanted Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant. His colleagues SSP Omar Shahid and SSP Chaudhry Aslam had claimed a major breakthrough in busting the Asif Ramzi faction of the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, and arresting six militants on the same day.
Talking to his superior officer over the phone, Khan said the suicide car bomber came in a white Shehzore truck. The militants first killed the guards posted at the gate and continued firing on the building with sophisticated weapons and also lobbed grenades as the vehicle made its way towards the building.
“When I saw the men, who were at least six in number coming towards the building, I opened fire with my sub machine gun,” said CID sub- inspector, Irfan – who was positioned on the third floor of the building.
However, Irfan says he was outgunned by the militants as they immediately spotted his location and fired bullets towards him. “I’m lucky to be alive and still talking here,” Irfan said in his torn white shalwar kameez stained with blood.
However, the death and destruction are not the only things the authorities have to worry about. Also, a cause of concern was the militants and hardened criminals being held inside the building.
Khan, who was visibly shocked as the bodies of his injured and badly maimed colleagues poured out of the building, gave immediate orders to check each lock up inside.
There was no one inside anymore, Khan was told.he said.
A senior intelligence official told The Express Tribune that the threat of an attack on police and security agencies had been at an all time high for a while now. “The CID was at the forefront of breaking the backs of the militant networks and was an obvious target,”
The official said that the nature of the attack was similar to the Marriott hotel bombing that took place in Islamabad. “I don’t believe that this had anything to do with the arrests that CID made public just 24 hours before this incident,” he said however – adding that it was a sophisticated attack that must have taken days of preparation.
“I can tell you that there were no militants inside the CID centre when the bomber struck. We have cordoned off the area,” said IGP Sindh.
Meanwhile, the injured were moved to hospital wards. “At least 12 people are critically injured and are being operated on,” said Dr Seemi Jamali at the Jinnah Hospital.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2010.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&q=Karachi,+Pakistan&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Karachi,+Sindh,+Pakistan&gl=ca&ei=Hj7cTInfKNK5ngeRkIwX&ved=0CCgQ8gEwAA&ll=24.844716,67.029347&spn=0.00665,0.013733&z=17
The real question to ask here should perhaps be why was this building attacked in the first place. According to officials the CID received a threat yesterday, following a raid on in Pirabad which resulted in the arrest of six suspected members of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Tehreek-i-Taliban. Assertions have been made that this attack is a sign that militants are gaining strength in Karachi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyNx7CacD6U
Massive explosion in Karachi, injuring up to 35
11 Nov 2010 15:53:47 GMT
Source: Reuters
KARACHI, Nov 11 (Reuters) - A massive explosion ripped through a police compound in a busy commercial street in Pakistan's largest city Karachi on Thursday night, injuring up to 35 people, according to police and media reports.
"The blast is inside a CID (Criminal Investigation Department) compound, and we are fearing casualties," a senior police official told Reuters.
A Reuters photographer on the scene saw dozens of motorcycles destroyed and windows were shattered up to 2 km away. (Additional reporting Athar Hussain; Writing by Chris Allbritton) (For more Reuters coverage of Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/places/pakistan)
========
Suicide car bomb kills at least 15 in Karachi
11 Nov 2010 17:14:13 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Adds detail, colour)
By Faisal Aziz
KARACHI, Nov 11 (Reuters) - A suspected suicide car bomb struck a security compound in a high security neighbourhood in Pakistan's largest city Karachi on Thursday night, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens, officials said.
The attack took place at the compound of the Criminal Investigation Department, just metres from the provincial chief minister's house, in the central Karachi district known as the "red zone" because of its high security, police said.
The U.S. Consulate, five-star hotels and other important buildings are also within a couple of kilometres.
"The attackers first opened fire and then rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the building," senior police official Javed Akbar Riaz told Reuters.
"We suspect that it was a suicide attack," he said.
The building is used to hold and interrogate a number of militants, included those from banned organisations. It was not immediately clear how many were inside at the time of the attack.
Sharmila Farooqi, a spokeswoman for the Sindh provincial government, said at least 15 people were killed and more than 30 injured. Other officials put the number of injured at more than 70.
The blast left a crater about 40 feet across and 12 feet deep in front on the building. The building was gutted and some parts of nearby buildings collapsed.
Ambulances and official vehicles jammed the road where the blast had taken place.
A Reuters photographer on the scene saw dozens of motorcycles destroyed and windows were shattered up to 2 km away. He also saw two wounded children evacuated from the scene.
"I heard shooting and then I came to the site and there were injured people screaming," said Sajid Khan, a bystander who was about 1 km away when the blast occurred. "Some women were screaming."
As the crowd looked on, rescue workers shouted Allah-u-Akbar (God is Great) as they removed slabs of cement and pulled out a body, its head covered with dust.
Close by, a security guard knelt in the rubble and sifted through a pile of bullet casings. (Additional reporting by Michael Georgy and Athar Hussain; Editing by Peter Graff) (For more Reuters coverage of Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/places/pakistan)
===========
Explosion in Karachi: Live updates
The injured are being taken to Jinnah Hospital. Crowd of people gather around the site of blast. The explosion heavily damaged nearby buildings. An explosion near the PIDC building targeted the DIG CID's office.
KARACHI: An explosion has killed 15 people at the DIG CID’s office near the PIDC building on Club Road in Karachi.
According to eye witness reports, there was an exchange of gunfire prior to the blasts, that continued for 30 minutes.
Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza confirms that five to six people opened fire before the explosion.
The explosion targeted the DIG CID’s office in the area.
The DIG was not inside the building at the time of the blast.
According to Ahmed Jung, a source informed him that the CID had received a bomb threat yesterday. CID officials said that numerous threats come frequently. They did not expect such an incident to take place. CID had arrested a high profile terrorist Iqbal belonging to the Mehsud tribe yesterday and had received a threat in that regard.
A lot of data on terrorists is feared to be lost in this explosion.
Casualties
So far, 15 people are being reported dead, while more than 90 have been injured.
According to Express 24/7 Correspondent Ahmed Jung, the number of injured is expected to rise.
Two FC officials were found injured inside the building.
Rescue efforts
Hospitals are appealing for blood donations for the injured.
Express 24/7 Masror Hausen reports that 80 to 90 people have been brought into Jinnah Hospital, who were not seriously injured. Also, the ambulance have stopped coming which means more injured are not coming in.
According to Express News correspondent Shakir Sultan several people are trapped under the rubble of the building.
Police and Rangers have cordoned of the area around the emergency of the Jinnah Hospital.
According to Masror Hausen, there is panic at the Jinnah Hospital and the Rangers have arrested a person carrying a gun. The man claimed that he was a member of the CID. However, he did not have an ID card and so he was arrested.
At the side, Ahmed Jung reports that fork lifters are picking up rubble and looking for more survivors.
Nature of the blast
The blast is said to have occurred from a car bomb. Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza informed that a car loaded with explosives entered the building and exploded.
According to Ahmed Jung, 200kg of explosives were used in the blast.
The police has also reportedly found hand grenades at the site of the blast.
Blast intensity
According to Express Tribune reporter Hafeez Tunio, the CID building has been flattened in the blast, while roof of nearby houses have collapsed. Windows of buildings as far as the Marriot were also shattered by the intensity.
The whole colony around the blast site has been severely damaged.
Ahmed Jung reports the blast caused a 12 to 15 feet wide crater in the ground at the entrance of the building, while 16 to 20 nearby houses were heavily damaged.
Express News Correspondent Nadeem Khan reports the intensity of the explosion was such that it was heard for many kilometers around and nearby buildings have been damaged.
According to officials this is the blast intensity was the highest to have ever been witnessed in Karachi.
Site of blast
The explosion took place in a very busy area. Other than the PIDC building, there is also the Chief Minister House, Governor House, Pearl Continental Hotel and Sheraton in the area.
The bomb disposal squad is searching the site for any more explosives.
Official Statements
Former CPLC Chief Jameel Yousuf says that the aim of the explosion could have been to rescue terror suspects who were were being kept in the building.
He said that the injured who are being taken to the hospitals could have those suspects within them and security at the hospitals should be aware of this as their accomplices could try to rescue them from there as well.
The CID is refraining from making any statements at the moment.
Renowned social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi, who is present at Jinnah Hospital says this not the work of a human being or a Muslim. This is not good, killing so many people. This is barbaric. He said that terrorists are roaming around Karachi, and we do not know what their aim is.
CPLC Chief Ahmed Chani said that if a terrorist comes on a mission, he is fully prepared to give his life adding that there is need for pre-emptive measures and information gathering on people who enter the city. He said that this building was a softest target for the terrorists in the area.
Tweets about the explosion
husainhaqqani Terrorists have attacked R cities & R citizens 4 many years, long before 9/11, motivated by extremist ideology. Denial must end
husainhaqqani Pakistanis must unite 2 confront apologists 4 extremism: The victims R ours. Terrorists R our enemies. Ths is R war
MahwashB @BarackObama Bring back dead Pakistanis. Including the 40 from today. You aren’t fighting this war. We are. #Karachi#Pakistan
marvisirmed Karachi, you have to recognize the enemy. All political forces better remain united against these beasts. Hit them back with unity.
sundastahir May god forgive us our transgressions, our own killing our own. An ode to the fallen in Karachi… I pray for Karachitonight :’(
FarrukhSiddiqui Dozens of motorcycles destroyed and windows were shattered up to 2 km away. #Karachi Blast
Eshal_ My 2 yr old niece came to me & said “bomb phat gaya bomb”!!! Kids deserve an innocent childhood FREE OF BOMBS!
salmajafri This is big: houses, bldgs collapsed. blast heard till end of #karachi phase 8 :( husband gone to put petrol#kneejerkreaction
fahadfaruqui Another blast in Karachi. What a nightmare! Tired of family calling me to check my whereabouts. #LifeInPakistan
mshafiquk Strong condemnation of the terrorist attack near Chief Minister House in #Karachi, thoughts with victims and family#pakistan
beenasarwar: #Bomb exploded at CID center where Laskhar-e-Jhangvi member arrested yesterday in#Karachi was held #Pakistan
DrUmairAli just see how strong the terrorists are in pakistan….shame on our govt…..law enforcement….army…..#Karachi bomb
fariZafar Somebody rightly said it: “We don’t live in Karachi. We survive in Karachi.” #Karachi #Blast
UmairMohsin I don’t care much for the police but today really feel for them #Karachi #blast. All that carnage and loss of human life…
beenasarwar People at #Karachi Gymkhana report that Gymkhana windows were shattered #Karachi v @discomaulvi/Prob’ly all windows nearby #blast
fariZafar 30 injured/obliterated bodies have been brought to Jinnah hospital first up. #Blast #Karachi
MirMAli it looks like the Taliban have strengthen their roots in karachi.
faisaljamkhan: This sound of blast which people heard tonight in Karachi is heard n suffered by people of Waziratan every night
Rezhasan blast in Karachi targets office of CID, which had recently arrested several Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants
thekarachikid I live in defence and our windows rattled. #karachi
raghuduttc Have they blamed RAW yet ?RT @pragmatic_d: RT @Rezhasan: blast in Karachi apparently at a police building triggers panic in streets
===========
Karachi blast highlights dangers for police investigator
11 Nov 2010 19:55:23 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Michael Georgy
KARACHI, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Staring blankly at what used to be his office, the plain-clothed police investigator recalled how he had worked long hours there trying to track down some of Pakistan's most dangerous militants.
The office was flattened in a suspected Pakistani Taliban suicide car bombing on Thursday at the compound of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), which focuses on apprehending militants who are bent on toppling Pakistan's U.S.-backed government. [ID:nLDE6AA21L]
"I arrested members of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ)," said the investigator, who looked lost, his AK-47 assault rifle slung over his shoulder.
LeJ is one of Pakistan's most violent anti-Shi'ite groups and part of an al Qaeda-linked nexus of militants. They include the Pakistani Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 15 people and wounded 100, and threatened more bloodshed. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
For more Pakistan stories click [ID:nAFPAK]
or see http://link.reuters.com/kac58m
Pakistan blog: http://blogs.reuters.com/pakistan/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The explosion left a crater about 40 feet (12 metres) across and 12 feet (four metres) deep in front of the gutted building in Pakistan's financial capital and biggest city, where senior militants were held and interrogated.
The police investigator pointed out one of the rooms which held militants. It was reduced to broken concrete slabs and twisted metal.
Parts of nearby buildings collapsed in the attack, which took place metres from the provincial chief minister's house in a central district known as the "red zone" because of its high security status. The U.S. Consulate and five-star hotels are nearby.
A security guard knelt in the rubble and sifted through a pile of bullet casings. Police said the militants first opened fire, as they sometimes do during such attacks.
Official documents were strewn across the rubble.
Security officers and rescue workers tried to steady themselves over shaky chunks of cement as they searched furiously for possible survivors. A pair of sandals raised hope, but to no avail.
A few feet away a group of security officers grunted as they pushed away a huge block of cement. "Allah-u-Akbar" ("God is Great"), they shouted, hopeful they had found a survivor.
But a few minutes later the body of a paramilitary soldier, his face covered in dust, was carried away on a stretcher.
(Editing by Chris Allbritton and Susan Fenton)
(For more Reuters coverage of Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/places/pakistan)
=============
By Faisal Aziz
KARACHI | Thu Nov 11, 2010 3:34pm EST
KARACHI (Reuters) - At least 15 people were killed and 100 injured in a suspected Taliban suicide car bomb attack on Thursday at a security compound in Pakistan's largest city Karachi where militants are held, officials said.
The attack took place at the compound of the police Crime Investigation Department, meters from the provincial chief minister's house in a central district known as the "red zone" because of its high security status.
Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack which he said was in retaliation for U.S. air strikes in the country's northwestern tribal areas.
"It's a reaction to the drone strikes and such attacks will continue until drone strikes are stopped," he told Reuters,
The building is used to hold and interrogate a number of militants, including those from banned organizations. It was not immediately clear how many were inside at the time of the attack.
Sharmila Farooqi, a spokeswoman for the government of Sindh province where Karachi is the capital, said at least 15 people were killed and 100 injured.
"The attackers first opened fire and then rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the building," senior police official Javed Akbar Riaz told Reuters. "We suspect that it was a suicide attack."
The blast left a crater about 40 feet across and 12 feet (four meters) deep in front on the building. The building was gutted and some parts of nearby buildings collapsed.
The U.S. Consulate, five-star hotels and other important buildings lie within a couple of kilometres of the blast site.
A Reuters photographer on the scene saw dozens of motorcycles destroyed and windows were shattered up to 2 km away. He also saw two wounded children evacuated from the scene.
"I heard shooting and then I came to the site and there were injured people screaming," said Sajid Khan, a bystander who was about one km away when the blast occurred. "Some women were screaming."
As the crowd looked on, rescue workers shouted Allah-u-Akbar (God is Great) as they removed slabs of cement and pulled out a body, its head covered with dust. Close by, a security guard knelt in the rubble and sifted through a pile of bullet casings.
(Additional reporting by Michael Georgy, Athar Hussain and Kamran Haider; Editing by Chris Allbritton/David Stamp)
====
Pakistan Taliban releases video of its CID office attack
Haris Habib ----> Aug 11th, 2011 // 6 Comments
12Share
Karachi: In a chilling reminder to the threat posed by home-grown militants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the media wing of the terrorist outfit has released a confessional video, showing in detail how the suicide bomb attack on the Crime Investigation Department (CID) office was planned and executed on November 11, 2010.
Released by the TTP’s media wing, Umar media, the video shows three persons in an unknown mountainous area involved in intensive militancy training, using Kalashnikovs and hand grenades among other weapons, Pakistan Today reports.
The video includes the confessional statements of three TTP activists named Rehmanullah, Farmanullah and Muhammad Khan, saying they are ready for the attack on the CID building after completing their physical training.
The video, released by the TTP’s media wing Umar media two days ago, shows three persons in an unknown mountainous area involved in intensive militancy training, using Kalashnikovs and hand grenades among other weapons.
The time and date appearing on the video are 11am on October 20, 2010, which suggests that the video was prepared 21 days before the actual attack was carried out. The video is recorded in Pushto but also contains Urdu subtitles.
The footage shows the three men training with their weapons and a truck full of explosives. It shows the militants attacking an unknown building in a hilly area with hand grenades and Kalashnikovs.
It also shows men making a video around the CID building while planning the attack.
“We collected complete information of the guards deputed at the [CID] office and its surroundings, which made the attack easy for us,” it was said in the video.
The video also shows the three alleged attackers standing beside the truck loaded with explosives a while before the bombing. They claim to be going for the attack on the CID head office. It is claimed in the video that Noorullah and Farmanullah attacked the building with Kalashnikovs and hand grenades while Muhammad Khan hit the building with the explosives-laden truck. All of them were killed in the ‘operation’.
“Our activists hit the [CID office] building because it was being used to torture our colleagues,” the voice in the video says.
At the end of the video, the three militants are shown being interviewed by an unidentified person. The attackers say that they have taken part in the war against NATO forces in Afghanistan and are now going to launch an attack on the CID office to take revenge of their arrested brothers, who were tortured to death inside the building by law enforcement personnel. They also ask their colleagues to attack the country’s law enforcement agencies that are involved in kidnapping and murdering their ‘jihadi brothers’.
“I have fought in Pakistan and am now ready for the attack on the CID building. I am carrying out this attack in the way of Allah,” says Muhammad Khan, who allegedly bombed the building with the truck.
“We do not use any drugs and are not launching the attack under [the influence of] drugs. We are in our senses and going for the attack to fulfill the orders of the holy book,” say the other two attackers, who attacked the CID office with Kalashnikovs and hand grenades, making way for the explosive-laden vehicle to be rammed into the building.
Three high-ranked officers of the Karachi police are also shown in the video and declared Israeli agents. “SSP Chaudhry Aslam Khan, SSP Raja Umer Khattab and SP Mazhar Mashwani have martyred dozens of our activists, they are Israeli agents and we will attack them just to teach them a lesson,” it was said in the video.
No comments:
Post a Comment