The Pakistani Taliban claimed credit for a suicide attack that targeted a senior police official in Karachi today. Eight people were killed in the attack, which is the second to target a senior security official in one of Pakistan’s major cities in two weeks.
The suicide bomber rammed a car packed with explosives into the home of Aslam Khan, the head of the Police Crime Investigation Department in Karachi. Six policemen and two civilians were killed in the blast. Khan and his family were not hurt in the attack.
Khan said he “was receiving threats from Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) [Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan]. Taliban are involved in this attack,” AFP reported.
Taliban spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan said a local cell of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan was responsible for the assassination attempt, and said Khan was one of several police officials on the “hit list.”
“We claim responsibility for the attack. Aslam Khan has killed a number of our colleagues and also arrested and tortured many more,” Ihsan told AFP.
“He was on our hit list and he is still on our hit list,” Ihsan said. He then identified other police officials targeted for assassination. “They will be killed soon.”
Today’s attack mirrors another that took place just 12 days ago in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. In that attack, a suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden car into a vehicle outside the home of the Deputy Inspector General of the Baluchistan Frontier Corps; the residence is located in a high-security zone in the city. The second suicide bomber entered the building and opened fire with an assault rifle. He later detonated his suicide vest, leveling the office and damaging nearby buildings. The attack killed 24 people, including the Frontier Corps commander’s wife. More than 80 were wounded.
The Frontier Corps commander was targeted because he was involved in the capture of Younis al Mauritani, a senior member of al Qaeda’s external operations council, and his two aides, Abdul Ghaffar Al Shami and Messara Al Shami. The three al Qaeda operatives were arrested in a suburb of Quetta during a joint operation between the Baluchistan Frontier Corps and the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate.
At the time, Ishan, the Taliban spokesman, said that his forces “will launch a bigger attack in future.”
5 Comments
Sounds as though the Pakistanis are getting after their ‘good’ Taliban.
I don’t what these idiots are trying to accomplish;
other than turning people, against them! If they would stop their suicide attacks, peace would return and the foreigners would leave. But, because they attack, they stay to fight. I know the Taliban don’t
have much intelligence, but sure they must have some to do what they are doing, turning the whole world against them. Islam to them, is not a peaceful religion, but one of hate and violence. Stupid is, what stupid does, stupid things. So, they must be stupid.
@dr burke: If you think the foreigners are willing to “stay to fight” because of these attacks you haven’t been watching the Obama Administration or the European allies too closely.
Much of the “savings” in Obama’s new budget plan comes from his cut and run strategy in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters.
The Taliban understand the fecklessness of Western political leadership at this juncture and are setting up their terror regime for use when the good guys retreat.
Are we supposed to be sympathectic to other Pakistanis getting killed instead of the Taliban ones?
dr burke, in the case of the TTP, its very simple. They are very closely allied to al Qaida–their goal is to take over Pakistan including their nuke arsenal.
Pakistan is a very poorly governed, failed, bankrupt country that’s relatively easy game. AQ/T are fighting for power and the money that comes with it. Whats so stupid about that?