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| India-Pakistan |
| 12 soldiers die in Kohat suicide attack |
| 2007-12-18 |
| Twelve soldiers of an Army football team were killed and another five sustained injuries when a suicide bomber attacked them near the House of Signals of Pakistan Army in Kohat Cantonment on Monday. Initially, police sources said 10 soldiers died in the suicide bombing while six others sustained injuries. Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad, who is Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), immediately confirmed the death of nine soldiers in the attack. He said four troops were wounded. Later the ISPR put the death toll at 12 late in the evening. Sources in Kohat told The News that the soldiers were attacked while returning to their barracks after playing a soccer match in the nearby playground. The suicide bomber, wrapped in a woollen chaddar, struck when the soldiers reached the Army Public School and College ten minutes past noon. The site of attack is a maximum-security area close to the Army’s House of Signals, which has its centre in Kohat. The second battalion of the Signals is based in this area. Official and local sources in Kohat identified some of the slain soldiers as Mohammad Nawaz, Rashid Khan, Irfan Khan, Rafiq, Shahid, Adnan, Mushtaq and Ghulam Mohammad. Other soldiers killed in the attack couldn’t be identified immediately. The sources named two injured soldiers as Amjad Khan and Shaukat while the remaining three remained unidentified till filing of this report. The injured soldiers were admitted to the Combined Military Hospital, Kohat. It was learnt the military authorities made immediate arrangements to send the bodies, mostly mutilated, of the slain soldiers to their hometowns for burial. The entire cantonment was cordoned off by deploying more troops to check the movement of suspicious people. Police officials avoided comment on the incident as it concerned the Army. A number of efforts to reach them proved futile. Subsequently, police officials requesting anonymity said 10 soldiers were confirmed killed in the explosion initially. Sources told this scribe that around six kg of explosive was used in the blast, which was supported by bolts and ball bearings to cause more casualties. It was also suspected that the explosive was Russian-made. The age of the bomber was stated to be around 20. The blast is second of its kind in Kohat during the past five months. On July 19, at least 16 persons — including 11 soldiers, a prayer leader and two minors — were killed and same number injured in suicide blast inside a mosque near Pathan Lines, Kohat Garrison during Ish’a prayers. The same day, seven other security personnel were killed in another suicide blast outside the Police Training Centre in adjoining Hangu district. It merits a mention here that seven persons were killed and several injured in a similar attack on ASC Centre in Nowshera on Sunday. The Peshawar airbase was also attacked with four rockets a few days back while a woman was killed when the explosives she was carrying exploded near an Army check-post in Peshawar Cantonment last week. Another suicide attack, targeting law enforcers, took place in Swat a few days back in which several persons were killed and injured. A late evening press release of the ISPR said in Rawalpindi that 12 security forces personnel embraced Shahadat and two others were injured in the Kohat suicide attack. At approximately 1210 hrs, a suicide bomber blew himself up near the Signals Training Centre Sports Ground. Nine security forces personnel embraced Shahadat on the spot while five were injured including three critically. Later the three critically injured also succumbed to their injuries. The suicide bomber was also killed in the incident. Online adds: Terming the Kohat bomb blast a highly gruesome, President Musharraf on Monday expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the loss of innocent lives of security forces. “We will not let terrorists disturb the stability and integrity of the country at any cost, President Musharraf said in a statement when he received news of the incident in Vehari. The government is taking down to earth steps to expose the culprits of humanity (terrorists), he said. He said that blood of security forces would not go waste. He directed the concerned authorities to take good care of the injured and provide them with optimum medical facilities. He said that the mastermind involved in the blast would not be spared as such culprits are not humans. He further said that such elements were trying to create lawlessness for their own motives adding strict action would be taken against such culprits. While expressing condolence with the bereaved families, the president prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed souls in eternal peace and give courage to the family members to bear the irremediable losses. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 Interesting that the murdered soldiers are named as embracing shahadat (martyrdom) and not the suicide bomber. A verbal signal of the growing War Between the Purees in Pakistan. May they all do what it takes to resolve it properly. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-12-18 14:57 |
| #3 Looks like I'm taking Navy and the points... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-12-18 09:05 |
| #2 Twelve soldiers of an Army football team were killed and another five sustained injuries when a suicide bomber attacked them Obviously a cricket enthusiast. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2007-12-18 02:36 |
| #1 "The suicide bomber, wrapped in a woollen chaddar" Is 'chaddar' the same as 'chador', and isn't that another burka-like garment? Was this bomber a woman, or dressed as a woman? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-12-18 02:33 |