Blast in Karachi leaves 11 police officers dead, injures at least 36 others

The blast takes place near the gate of Razzaq­abad Police Traini­ng Center in Shah Latif Town area of the city. By Web DeskPublished: February 13, 2014 Share this article Print this page Email . Express News screengrab. .KARACHI: A blast in Karachi near a police mobile killed eight police officers and injured at least 30 others, Express News reported on Thursday. The explostion took place near the gate of Razzaqabad Police Training Center in Shah Latif Town area of the city just as a police bus was leaving the premises. According to the police, it could be a suicide blast. There were more than 50 police officers in the police mobile at the time of the blast. The vehicle was completely destroyed in the blast. According to initial details, three to five kilogrammes of explosives were used in the blast. It was reported that eight of the injured were in critical condition. The injured were taken to Jinnah Hospital and other local hospitals for medical assistance. Emergency has been declared at Jinnah Hospital. Civilians were also injured in the blast. Rangers and police have reached the blast site, cordoned off the area and started a search operation. As a result of the blast there was a traffic jam on National Highway. ============== Blast aimed at Pakistani police bus kills 11, wounds 33 Thu, Feb 13 03:33 AM EST 6 of 6 By Syed Raza Hassan ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - An explosion targeting a bus full of Pakistani policemen killed 11 and injured 33 near the southern port city of Karachi on Thursday, officials said, in the latest incident of violence while the government and the Taliban are engaged in peace talks. Many of the wounded policemen were badly hurt and in critical condition, said Dr. Seemin Jamali, head of the emergency department at the city's Jinnah Medical Center. It was unclear whether the blast was set off by a suicide bomber or a roadside bomb, said senior police officer Rao Anwar. The bombing follows an attack on the home of a slain policemen that killed nine members of a pro-government militia on Wednesday, and a grenade attack on a cinema on Tuesday that killed 13. Both attacks were in the northern city of Peshawar. None of the attacks has been claimed by the Taliban. The violence comes amid peace talks between government and Taliban representatives aimed at trying to end Pakistan's violent insurgency. Both sides are supposed to refrain from major attacks during the talks. But many question whether the Taliban, who have repeatedly said they reject democracy and want Pakistan ruled according to a strict brand of Islamic law, will be able to strike a compromise with the government. Others worry that there are too many militant groups in Pakistan to negotiate with. Several such groups, not included in the talks, have carried out bloody bombings of markets, churches, and mosques. (Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) =====================