Suicide attackers storm court in Pakistan

by Victoria333 Mon Mar 03, 2014 4:56 pm

At least 11 people, including a judge, have been killed in a suicide attack on a court in the centre of the Pakistani capital Islamabad, police said.

by Victoria333 Mon Mar 03, 2014 5:01 pm

Associated Press
March 3, 2014

ISLAMABAD — A group of armed men, including two suicide attackers, stormed a court complex in the Pakistani capital on Monday in a rare terror attack in the heart of Islamabad that killed 11 people and wounded dozens.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the assault, which came just days after the Pakistani Taliban announced a one-month ceasefire, raising questions about the group’s ability to control its various factions. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been trying to negotiate a peace settlement with militants in the northwest who have waged a bloody war against the government for years.

Witnesses spoke of attackers wielding automatic weapons running into the narrow alleyways in the sleepy capital’s court complex, hurling grenades and opening fire indiscriminately on lawyers, judges and court personnel.

One lawyer described it as a scene from hell, with blasts and firing all around. “My colleague was shot, and there was no one to help him. When I reached him, he was bleeding and crying for help,” said Momin Ali.

There were conflicting reports on how many attackers were involved in the incident and if any of them had managed to escape from the police. It also remained unclear if anyone had been arrested, how the attackers penetrated so deep into the city and whether a specific person in the complex was the intended target.

Initial reports suggested two men wearing explosive vests rushed into the court complex, threw hand grenades and started shooting, then blew themselves up, said Islamabad Police Chief Sikander Hayat. He put the death toll at 11.

"It was certainly an act of terrorism," Hayat said. One of the attackers blew himself up outside the office of the lawyers’ union president and the other outside the door of a judge’s office, he added.

The explosions sent lawyers and judges running in fear for their lives as police stormed in. Police subsequently searched the entire complex and found no additional attackers, said Hayat.

Other officials and a lawyer on the scene said there were more than two attackers. Police official Jamil Hashmi said there were about six to eight attackers who spread into different areas of the court complex.

"One of the attackers entered a courtroom and shot and killed a judge," Hashmi said.

Lawyer Murad Ali said he saw several attackers walking toward a courtroom, brandishing weapons.

"They had automatic weapons. They had hand grenades," he said. "I saw them shooting a female lawyer."

His hands were splattered in blood that he said came from helping remove four dead bodies. Another lawyer, Sardar Gul Nawaz, said the attackers had short beards and wore shalwar kameez, a traditional Pakistani outfit of baggy pants and a long tunic.

The dead included two judges and five lawyers, said Dr. Altaf at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad where the dead and wounded were taken. Altaf, who spoke to television reporters and only gave his family name, said most of the victims had bullet wounds. He said 25 were wounded, five of them critically.

The area where the attack occurred is a warren of walkways filled with judges’ chambers, lawyers’ offices and restaurants and businesses catering to the legal community. The walkways are filled with copying machines for clerks and clients to make copies of legal documents, and prisoners wearing chains can often be seen walking through the complex on their way to and from court. Families of suspects on trial also often stand around the area, waiting for their loved ones to appear in court. Some spots in the complex have metal detectors, which are often not used.

Pakistani television showed images of the area with windows blown out, walls torn and lawyers in traditional black suits carrying what appeared to be lifeless bodies and wounded from the buildings. Policemen with weapons raised ran through the area and searched offices.

Body parts and blood mingled with pieces of shattered glass littered the ground outside the courtrooms and attorney’s offices. The police cordoned off the complex, which was taken over by commandos from the police anti-terrorist force.

The attack was a shock to Islamabad, which has mostly been spared the frequent bombings and shootings prevalent in other parts of Pakistan such as Peshawar near the tribal areas or the port city of Karachi.

The peace process has proceeded in fits and starts but seemed to get a boost on Saturday, when the Pakistani Taliban announced they would implement a one-month ceasefire after the military pounded their hideouts with airstrikes.

The militant group was quick to distance itself from Monday’s attack. A spokesman for the organization in a telephone call to an Associated Press reporter said the group was not involved in the assault and restated his group’s commitment to the ceasefire.

But the attack highlighted the difficulty in negotiating a peace deal with a multi-faceted group like the Pakistani Taliban, made up of varying factions. Analysts say that while some in the group may want to negotiate a peace deal, other factions may not, making it difficult to enforce a peace deal across all the factions. The cease-fire did not include other groups, such as al-Qaida, that operate in Pakistan.

Gunmen burst into a court in a busy shopping area in the heart of Pakistan's capital on Monday, killing at least 11 people in a suicide-bomb and gun attack likely to shatter any prospect of meaningful peace talks with Taliban insurgents.

The Pakistani Taliban, who have declared a month-long ceasefire to pursue peace talks with the government, immediately distanced themselves from the attack as well as a separate blast on the Afghan border which killed two soldiers.

An explosion reverberated in central Islamabad just after 9 a.m., followed by bursts of gunfire. Police said at least 30 were wounded. A judge was among those killed.

"There was a blast, then there was a lot of gunfire. Gunmen were spraying bullets at everyone," said Faisal Ali, a businessman who witnessed the attack.

Even as the Taliban declared willingness to talk peace, almost daily attacks have continued around Pakistan in past weeks, showing that the central Taliban leadership is not entirely in control of its operations.

"We have already declared a ceasefire for a month and we stand by our promise," a Taliban spokesman said.

Bomb attacks are rare in Islamabad, the leafy and hilly seat of Pakistan's government.

The judge, Rafaqat Awan, was killed on the spot. He had rejected a petition last year to file a murder case against former President Perzez Musharraf over his order to storm a hardline mosque in Islamabad in 2007.

Many radical Islamists hold a grudge against Musharraf over the storming in which more than 100 people were killed, and any official seen as obstructing their fight for justice is likely to be on their hit list.

During Monday's attack, two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the courtroom where a hearing had just started, police said.

Two other attackers were killed in the ensuing gun fight with police. Police said gunmen fired at random targets in the area after the initial explosion.

Shortly afterwards, police blocked entry and exit points to the area, a maze of narrow, dusty streets lined with one-room shops and offices.

Commandos in camouflage knocked on doors and secured street corners as they combed the area for more militants. Police secured the area an hour later and the market resumed normal operations.

Pools of blood

At the court, broken glass and charred human remains littered the site of the blast at the F8 market area as residents and police rushed around in bloodstained clothes.

A severed leg lay atop the rubble. Pools of blood and severed body parts were scattered on the floor of several offices.

"There is one policeman among the dead," local police station head constable Mohammad Yousaf told Reuters.

"We also have unconfirmed reports that two lawyers have died."

The Taliban, a fragmented group consisting of dozens of smaller bands of militants, said at the weekend they would observe a one-month ceasefire to try to revive peace talks and called on all groups to observe it.

Talks broke down last month after a series of attacks and counter-attacks by the army and insurgents.

Observers say striking a deal with the central leadership would not stop the violence because many fridge militant groups operate independently from the central Taliban command.

The Pakistani Taliban, who are fighting to bring down the Pakistani state, are allied with, but separate from, the Afghan Taliban. The Afghan Taliban are fighting to expel foreign forces from Afghanistan and do not fight Pakistani security forces.
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Gunmen burst into a court in a busy shopping area in the heart of Pakistan's capital on Monday, killing at least 11 people in a suicide-bomb and gun attack likely to shatter any prospect of meaningful peace talks with Taliban insurgents.

The Pakistani Taliban, who have declared a month-long ceasefire to pursue peace talks with the government, immediately distanced themselves from the attack as well as a separate blast on the Afghan border which killed two soldiers.

An explosion reverberated in central Islamabad just after 9 a.m., followed by bursts of gunfire. Police said at least 30 were wounded. A judge was among those killed.

"There was a blast, then there was a lot of gunfire. Gunmen were spraying bullets at everyone," said Faisal Ali, a businessman who witnessed the attack.

Even as the Taliban declared willingness to talk peace, almost daily attacks have continued around Pakistan in past weeks, showing that the central Taliban leadership is not entirely in control of its operations.

"We have already declared a ceasefire for a month and we stand by our promise," a Taliban spokesman said.

Bomb attacks are rare in Islamabad, the leafy and hilly seat of Pakistan's government.

The judge, Rafaqat Awan, was killed on the spot. He had rejected a petition last year to file a murder case against former President Perzez Musharraf over his order to storm a hardline mosque in Islamabad in 2007.

Many radical Islamists hold a grudge against Musharraf over the storming in which more than 100 people were killed, and any official seen as obstructing their fight for justice is likely to be on their hit list.

During Monday's attack, two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the courtroom where a hearing had just started, police said.

Two other attackers were killed in the ensuing gun fight with police. Police said gunmen fired at random targets in the area after the initial explosion.

Shortly afterwards, police blocked entry and exit points to the area, a maze of narrow, dusty streets lined with one-room shops and offices.

Commandos in camouflage knocked on doors and secured street corners as they combed the area for more militants. Police secured the area an hour later and the market resumed normal operations.

Pools of blood

At the court, broken glass and charred human remains littered the site of the blast at the F8 market area as residents and police rushed around in bloodstained clothes.

A severed leg lay atop the rubble. Pools of blood and severed body parts were scattered on the floor of several offices.

"There is one policeman among the dead," local police station head constable Mohammad Yousaf told Reuters.

"We also have unconfirmed reports that two lawyers have died."

The Taliban, a fragmented group consisting of dozens of smaller bands of militants, said at the weekend they would observe a one-month ceasefire to try to revive peace talks and called on all groups to observe it.

Talks broke down last month after a series of attacks and counter-attacks by the army and insurgents.

Observers say striking a deal with the central leadership would not stop the violence because many fridge militant groups operate independently from the central Taliban command.

The Pakistani Taliban, who are fighting to bring down the Pakistani state, are allied with, but separate from, the Afghan Taliban. The Afghan Taliban are fighting to expel foreign forces from Afghanistan and do not fight Pakistani security forces.
- See more at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Gunmen burst into a court in a busy shopping area in the heart of Pakistan's capital on Monday, killing at least 11 people in a suicide-bomb and gun attack likely to shatter any prospect of meaningful peace talks with Taliban insurgents.

The Pakistani Taliban, who have declared a month-long ceasefire to pursue peace talks with the government, immediately distanced themselves from the attack as well as a separate blast on the Afghan border which killed two soldiers.

An explosion reverberated in central Islamabad just after 9 a.m., followed by bursts of gunfire. Police said at least 30 were wounded. A judge was among those killed.

"There was a blast, then there was a lot of gunfire. Gunmen were spraying bullets at everyone," said Faisal Ali, a businessman who witnessed the attack.

Even as the Taliban declared willingness to talk peace, almost daily attacks have continued around Pakistan in past weeks, showing that the central Taliban leadership is not entirely in control of its operations.

"We have already declared a ceasefire for a month and we stand by our promise," a Taliban spokesman said.

Bomb attacks are rare in Islamabad, the leafy and hilly seat of Pakistan's government.

The judge, Rafaqat Awan, was killed on the spot. He had rejected a petition last year to file a murder case against former President Perzez Musharraf over his order to storm a hardline mosque in Islamabad in 2007.

Many radical Islamists hold a grudge against Musharraf over the storming in which more than 100 people were killed, and any official seen as obstructing their fight for justice is likely to be on their hit list.

During Monday's attack, two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the courtroom where a hearing had just started, police said.

Two other attackers were killed in the ensuing gun fight with police. Police said gunmen fired at random targets in the area after the initial explosion.

Shortly afterwards, police blocked entry and exit points to the area, a maze of narrow, dusty streets lined with one-room shops and offices.

Commandos in camouflage knocked on doors and secured street corners as they combed the area for more militants. Police secured the area an hour later and the market resumed normal operations.

Pools of blood

At the court, broken glass and charred human remains littered the site of the blast at the F8 market area as residents and police rushed around in bloodstained clothes.

A severed leg lay atop the rubble. Pools of blood and severed body parts were scattered on the floor of several offices.

"There is one policeman among the dead," local police station head constable Mohammad Yousaf told Reuters.

"We also have unconfirmed reports that two lawyers have died."

The Taliban, a fragmented group consisting of dozens of smaller bands of militants, said at the weekend they would observe a one-month ceasefire to try to revive peace talks and called on all groups to observe it.

Talks broke down last month after a series of attacks and counter-attacks by the army and insurgents.

Observers say striking a deal with the central leadership would not stop the violence because many fridge militant groups operate independently from the central Taliban command.

The Pakistani Taliban, who are fighting to bring down the Pakistani state, are allied with, but separate from, the Afghan Taliban. The Afghan Taliban are fighting to expel foreign forces from Afghanistan and do not fight Pakistani security forces.
- See more at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Gunmen burst into a court in a busy shopping area in the heart of Pakistan's capital on Monday, killing at least 11 people in a suicide-bomb and gun attack likely to shatter any prospect of meaningful peace talks with Taliban insurgents.

The Pakistani Taliban, who have declared a month-long ceasefire to pursue peace talks with the government, immediately distanced themselves from the attack as well as a separate blast on the Afghan border which killed two soldiers.

An explosion reverberated in central Islamabad just after 9 a.m., followed by bursts of gunfire. Police said at least 30 were wounded. A judge was among those killed.

"There was a blast, then there was a lot of gunfire. Gunmen were spraying bullets at everyone," said Faisal Ali, a businessman who witnessed the attack.

Even as the Taliban declared willingness to talk peace, almost daily attacks have continued around Pakistan in past weeks, showing that the central Taliban leadership is not entirely in control of its operations.

"We have already declared a ceasefire for a month and we stand by our promise," a Taliban spokesman said.

Bomb attacks are rare in Islamabad, the leafy and hilly seat of Pakistan's government.

The judge, Rafaqat Awan, was killed on the spot. He had rejected a petition last year to file a murder case against former President Perzez Musharraf over his order to storm a hardline mosque in Islamabad in 2007.

Many radical Islamists hold a grudge against Musharraf over the storming in which more than 100 people were killed, and any official seen as obstructing their fight for justice is likely to be on their hit list.

During Monday's attack, two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the courtroom where a hearing had just started, police said.

Two other attackers were killed in the ensuing gun fight with police. Police said gunmen fired at random targets in the area after the initial explosion.

Shortly afterwards, police blocked entry and exit points to the area, a maze of narrow, dusty streets lined with one-room shops and offices.

Commandos in camouflage knocked on doors and secured street corners as they combed the area for more militants. Police secured the area an hour later and the market resumed normal operations.

Pools of blood

At the court, broken glass and charred human remains littered the site of the blast at the F8 market area as residents and police rushed around in bloodstained clothes.

A severed leg lay atop the rubble. Pools of blood and severed body parts were scattered on the floor of several offices.

"There is one policeman among the dead," local police station head constable Mohammad Yousaf told Reuters.

"We also have unconfirmed reports that two lawyers have died."

The Taliban, a fragmented group consisting of dozens of smaller bands of militants, said at the weekend they would observe a one-month ceasefire to try to revive peace talks and called on all groups to observe it.

Talks broke down last month after a series of attacks and counter-attacks by the army and insurgents.

Observers say striking a deal with the central leadership would not stop the violence because many fridge militant groups operate independently from the central Taliban command.

The Pakistani Taliban, who are fighting to bring down the Pakistani state, are allied with, but separate from, the Afghan Taliban. The Afghan Taliban are fighting to expel foreign forces from Afghanistan and do not fight Pakistani security forces.
- See more at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Suicide attackers storm court in Pakistan

Suicide attackers storm court in Pakistan

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