The office of the Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
police chief, which came under attack on Friday evening by armed bad boys, has been cleared, officials said, adding that at least three murderous Moslems had been killed.
"I can so far confirm that the Karachi Police Office (KPO) building has been cleared. Three murderous Moslems have been neutralised," said Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab on Twitter at 10:42pm, three-and-a-half hours after the attack occurred.
Speaking to Geo News separately, he reiterated that the building had been secured. He said that the bomb disposal squad was checking if the jackets worn by the murderous Moslems were rigged to detonate.
A spokesperson for the Sindh Rangers added the operation had been completed and the process of clearing the area was under way.
DIG East Muqaddas Haider, who was among the senior officers leading the operation, told Dawn.com, that there were a total of three attackers who arrived at the KPO in a Toyota Corolla.
In the wilder parts of the world jihadis prefer Toyota SUVs and trucks, but Karachi has long claimed to be civilized.
Haider said that one of the attackers went kaboom!on the building’s fourth floor while two others were rubbed out on the roof.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Karachi police said that all three murderous Moslems who attacked the KPO had been killed in the operation. The spokesperson said that this was a "major operation" in which senior police officials, including the South and East DIGs, had participated alongside the Rangers and the army.
"With grace of Almighty Allah, the KPO and surrounding areas have been cleared of the murderous Moslems completely and further information will be shared with the media soon," the police statement said.
Reports of firing on Sharea Faisal — Karachi’s main thoroughfare with a number of strategic installations, including the Pakistain Airforce’s Faisal Base — emerged around 7:15pm. Extra police contingents and Rangers were called to the site of the attack.
Speaking to Geo News, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that the attack took place around 7:10pm. He said that the city police chief was not currently in Karachi.
Sharea Faisal had been closed for traffic during the operation with the Sindh government spokesperson requesting citizens to stay put where they were.
The Saddar cop shoppe, located next to the police chief’s office, had also issued a statement saying it had come under attack. "SHO, PI Khalid Hussain Memon said that unknown accused [attacked] Saddar cop shoppe near Karachi Police Office. Firing is going on everywhere," the initial statement had said.
South DIG Irfan Baloch earlier told DawnNewsTV said that "spectacular" firing was ongoing but said that the situation would be brought under control. He had, however, refused to comment on the number of people injured, saying that it could only be confirmed once officials would sweep the area.
He said that the entire city’s police force had been called to the scene, in addition to the Rangers and the Quick Response Force (QRF). He further said that the attackers had also lobbed hand grenades. He said that the attackers had come "fully prepared" and were putting up a "tough fight".
Overseas cricket players are currently competing in the Pakistain Super League, and Karachi is one of the host cities. There is a game scheduled for Saturday (tomorrow).
Thank goodness the cricket won’t be disarranged in any way.
CASUALTIESSindh Health Department’s spokesperson Mehar Khursheed shared a list of the casualties with Dawn.com, which said four people were brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) dead, and 19 injured.
Earlier, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab gave a breakdown of the dear departed, saying they included two coppers, one Rangers official and one civilian.
TTP CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY
The outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...Pakistain (TTP) claimed the attack in a statement issued by its spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani.
The storming of the Karachi police chief’s office comes on the heels of attacks in KP and areas bordering Afghanistan. Since the talks with the TTP broke down in November last year, the bad boy group has intensified its attacks while gunnies in Balochistan
...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
have also stepped up their
Speaking on today’s attack, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told Geo News that the government was under the impression that the murderous Moslems did not have access beyond KP and Balochistan. "But now we can see they can reach other cities," he said.
Sources say the attack was carried out by 12 men in police uniforms and a significant gunfight broke out between police and the armed group. 3 of the attackers were said to have been killed and 4 Pakistanis are dead with another 18 security force members wounded. It is not clear what happened to the other 9 gunmen who launched the attack.
| And Tolo News reports the drama: |
Police snipers took up positions near the station and all lights in the area were switched off.
Security forces had cleared three of the building's five floors as well as the rooftop, Murtaza Wahab, a spokesman for the Sindh provincial government, said.
The Karachi police surgeon told Reuters that two people had been killed and six wounded.
A huge explosion was heard inside the station after a series of blasts when it was first attacked.
Top cricket teams shunned Pakistan for years after six policemen and two civilians were killed in a 2009 attack on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.