Lahore Police Academy crises over | One gunman, five collaborators arrested

[Abu Zolfiqar]

i look forward to the day that Baitullah kutti ki aullad is dragged by his beard out of his safe-house, and told to bight the curb before some angry tribesman stomp on his head.


he is an embarassment to Islam. He is embarassment to all Pushtoons and our secular nature. He is embarassment to all Pakistan.


all the worlds ill and curses on this man, and anybody who supports him and these bearded whack-jobs, and all those elements (especially foreign) who are giving them cash and arms.

 

[Cheetah786]

LAHORE: Interior advisor Rehman Malik told a press conference that the investigators had obtained crucial ‘leads in their investigation from the arrested suspects. On the basis of these leads we hope to reach the culprits shortly.’ He said the details of investigations in would be released to the media in two days.

The security forces captured an alleged assailant said to be of Afghan origins from the near-by fields a couple of hours before the school was secured. Two hand-grenades, a knife, a walkie-talkie set and a passport in his name were recovered from him. Another three attackers blew themselves up to avoid arrest when the security forces launched the final operation to secure the centre in the afternoon.

Another three men suspected to be involved in the attack were also taken into custody when they were trying to escape from the building premises in police uniforms. They were removed to an unidentified place for interrogation.

There were contradictory reports about the number of attackers just as no two post-event accounts, even those which came from the government officials, matched.
Eye-witnesses claimed that at least 10 men had attacked the police school, located on the GT Road at the Manawan village, a few kilometers from the Wagha border with India. But senior police officers, who took part in the operation, said it was unclear as to how many gunmen were involved.

‘There’s a strong possibility that some of them might have left the place after helping their fellow attackers capture the building by throwing hand-grenades at the trainees in the morning,’ a police official told Dawn.

The injured were removed to the hospitals for treatment. But none of them would be allowed to leave without security check as the investigators suspected some assailants might have mingled with them in order to escape arrest.

Malik said the Afghan suspect belonged to the outfit of Baitullah Mehsud, adding that the planning for the assault was done in the tribal areas of the NWFP. He did not rule out the involvement of a ‘foreign hand,’ saying all these terrorist outfits were receiving weapons and funds from outside the country. He said the attack was impeccably planned.

The security forces recaptured the police centre only after a sustained heavy firing that continued for several minutes. The troops on the ground were aided by heavy firing from an army helicopter during the final shootout with the attackers.
About 780 police trainees and 100 school staff – instructors, policemen, cooks, etc, were present inside the centre when the attack began. The eyewitnesses said the attackers launched their assault by throwing hand-grenades from different sides of the centre’s building and opening indiscriminate firing on the trainees drilling in the parade ground.

The attack panicked the trainees and their instructors as they ran for cover. Many managed to scale the outer walls to escape. Others rushed inside the building before the assailants took many as hostage before digging in for a long fight. The eye-witnesses said the gunmen did not face any resistance before taking over the control of the school because of inadequate security arrangements.

Subsequently Elite force, Rangers and army were also called in to assist the police at the scene. Rangers and elite force troops were deployed on the rooftops of near-by buildings. Four surveillance helicopters continued to monitor the movements and positions of the gunmen.

The police celebrated their successful operation by firing into the air on the rooftop. The policemen were hoisted onto shoulders, there were slogans in favor of the army, the rangers and the police and a procession ensued.

Several hundred civilians poured in from close-by localities to watch the operation despite the ‘curfew-like’ conditions in the area. The worried families of the police trainees and others trapped inside the school also arrived and emotional scenes were witnessed. Residents of the area stood on their rooftops despite intermittent cross-firing.
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[Bull]

The latest report says he has even threatened US by saying he would attack Washington.

Now where does the Indian hand crop up. This was done by TTP in retaliation against the operations in NWFP.

 

[All-Green]

A salute to our brave young policemen, rangers and soldiers.
May our martyrs rest in heaven and their families be taken care of.

I think we should not go into comparisons here since it shall not conclude anything.
Our troops did a fine job since the terrorists were trying to kill as many as they could before departing to hell.
With so many hundreds of people to be evacuated and few casualties it clearly means the terrorists were not allowed to successfully complete their mission.

The bottom line is that there was a decisiveness in the action of the response forces which sadly has not been there in the past few events and especially as far as joint operations are concerned across different formations.
This shows that finally the lower level command has started better coordination amongst themselves which shall auger very well and give TTP and their supporters at least something to think about (though not much since they have lots of cannon fodder).
You can train as much as you want but in the end all that decides the outcome is the commander or the soldier who takes quick and sound decisions in the operations zone and effectively counters the threat by using his assets wisely.
Quickly deploying APCs to the scene and evacuating the cadets in their cover was a very good reaction.
Using Army aviation to strafe the roofs also was something not done in our cities before but it really helped in pinning the terrorists.
The operation was carried out successfully and with great grit and determination.

This is the first time we have personally witnessed these goons being hammered by our forces after attacking a target.
It was a very apt thing for our forces to say Allah o Akbar at the end and show some thing to the observing nation that we are the ones fighting in the cause of Allah to protect his creations and not these terrorists who can only take life and not value its worth.
Such small gestures can make a lasting impression and give a positive message to the masses.

May the true sons of this land always prevail over this vermin that is terrorizing Pakistan.
Amen

 

[hembo]

^^^ @ post 795
It really breaks my hearts to see such ravage of precious and young lives. May god give them blessing and their loved ones courage and hope in this difficult time.
RIP

We should device a way to mourn it collectively as PDF members. May be stand up in silence for a minute at some pre-specified common time. Or wearing a black band for a day.

 

[notorious_eagle]

The latest report says he has even threatened US by saying he would attack Washington.

Now where does the Indian hand crop up. This was done by TTP in retaliation against the operations in NWFP.

Where do you think he is getting the funding from.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Back to topic folks.

I said this in my last post - leave the comparisons for another thread.

But we had a series of back and forth and now leave it at that.

 

[All-Green]

The latest report says he has even threatened US by saying he would attack Washington.

Now where does the Indian hand crop up. This was done by TTP in retaliation against the operations in NWFP.

Mehsud talks a lot but only attacks Pakistanis...something we all have observed. This anti USA bullshit is all hogwash to fool the locals amongst whom he hides. It means nothing to us.
He may or may not hate USA but based on his actions he is an anti Pakistan entity.

While i do not blame anyone without evidence, it does not mean that we exonerate RAW from suspected involvement.

However; there is no doubt in any sane persons mind that Mehsud and his pack has to be eliminated, immediately.

Maybe the precision of predator can be relied upon in this case in favor of Pakistan?

 

[ajpirzada]

lets answer a question. y do ppl from within pakistan go and join this baitullah masood guy??? how much more does america wants us to cooperated in this f*cin war on terror??? is it worth cooperating when our own ppl are rising against the state??? we cooperate, kill our own ppl who then rise against us. when these ppl carry out such attacks, US(supposedly our ally) tells the world that we are a failed state. and congrats everyone we have decided to become their slaves for another 5 yrs after accepting their god damn aid

and this rehman malik is even worse. he only tells that terrorists have entered xyz city. now if they have entered then whoz gonna stop them from attacking us?? now wat is he doin this investigation for. will he be able to go and catch baitullah after he gets enough evidence to support this claim??? i dont know y is he still holdin his post...

 

[Bull]

Mehsud talks a lot but only attacks Pakistanis...something we all have observed. This anti USA bullshit is all hogwash to fool the locals amongst whom he hides. It means nothing to us.
He may or may not hate USA but based on his actions he is an anti Pakistan entity.

While i do not blame anyone without evidence, it does not mean that we exonerate RAW from suspected involvement.

However; there is no doubt in any sane persons mind that Mehsud and his pack has to be eliminated, immediately.

Maybe the precision of predator can be relied upon in this case in favor of Pakistan?

There is a US bounty of US$ 5 mn on his head, so his anti US stand cannot be a hogwash.

Where do you think he is getting the funding from.

Might from anyone and everyone who gains by this.

 

[Cheetah786]

Where do you think he is getting the funding from.

May be we should be asking that question to Hamid gul this is his basterd he should answer these questions beating around the bush and blaming every body but the real sh-i head not going to get the results.
Why even after finding out Mehsud is behind it i still see no Action Against him or his tribe?

 

[koolio]

BAHAWALPUR: The Bahawalpur police on Tuesday arrested five suspected persons, including four Afghan, in different raids here.

The police said that police uniforms and number plates were recovered from the suspects’ possession.

It seems there is a heavy Afghani involvement lets see how this materialises.

 

[Gabbar]

Lahore done, it's US capital now: Taliban's Mehsud

LAHORE: Pakistan's most wanted militant on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a deadly police academy assault and threatened to attack the US
capital in retaliation for a series of air strikes. ( Watch )

Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, for whom the United States has posted a five-million-dollar reward, said there would be more attacks after Monday's raid on the Lahore police training school that left 12 people dead.

"We claim responsibility for the attack," Mehsud, blamed for the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, said by telephone from an undisclosed location.

"This was in retaliation for the ongoing drone attacks in the tribal areas. There will be more such attacks."

"Very soon we will take revenge from America, not in Afghanistan but in Washington, which will amaze the entire world," Mehsud warned.

Seven cadets, a civilian and four attackers died in Monday's raid on the police academy in eastern city Lahore, sparking fears that unrest is seeping out of the tribal badlands and into the heart of Pakistan.

Assailants armed with guns, grenades and suicide vests shot their way into the academy in the morning, triggering eight hours of gun battles that lasted until they were overpowered by security forces.

Mehsud, who was accused by the former government of masterminding Bhutto's killing, heads the feared Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The US State Department has branded him a "key al-Qaida facilitator" in the semi-autonomous South Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan.

Mehsud said he had set up a council of mujahedeen (holy warriors) grouping different groups "to step up attacks on US and NATO forces in Afghanistan."

He dismissed the US reward for his arrest.

"The maximum they can do is martyr me," he said. "We will exact our revenge on them from inside America."

Mehsud's group is influential in both North and South Waziristan, as well as in the Bajaur tribal district to the north, which Pakistani security forces said they had effectively cleared last month following a major offensive.

He commands thousands of fighters across the tribal areas on the Afghan border, although official estimates vary on the precise number. His capacity for launching attacks outside the region is questionable.

At least 35 US drone strikes have killed over 340 people in Pakistan since August last year.

The US military does not usually confirm such attacks, but its armed forces and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operating in Afghanistan are the only ones to deploy drones in the region.

In Lahore, interrogators questioned dozens of people over the assault. Punjab province's police chief Khalid Farooq said 50 had been picked up.

"These people will now be interrogated," he added. "Things are moving in a positive direction but it is too early to say who was involved."

A bearded man -- who interior ministry chief Rehman Malik said was Afghan -- was arrested for allegedly trying to attack police outside the compound.

Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif said a judicial commission would be set up to investigate the attack, whose findings would be made public.

Chief suspects for the attack are homegrown Islamist groups or Taliban and al-Qaida militants holed up in the tribal areas.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking at an international conference on Afghanistan Tuesday, backed plans for reconciliation talks with members of the Taliban or past Al-Qaeda supporters who reject violence.

"They should be offered an honorable form of reconciliation and reintegration into a peaceful society, if they are willing to abandon violence, break with al-Qaida, and support the constitution," she said.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband condemned Monday's attack near Lahore and pledged international help to root out the extremist threat.

Lahore was also the setting for the March 3 gun attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team that left eight Pakistanis dead.

 

[mhacsan]

Pakistan is a nation of over 172 million people. As a nation, we have to put our people's safety first that is our duty.

If there are trouble-makers inside Pakistan who come from different countries, deport them/punish them like any other sovereign nation does.

Do you know how many Pakistanis and Middle Easterns have been deported since 9/11? Do you know how many Muslim families in US had the FBI coming to their house asking them questions.

Every sovereign nation cares for the safety of their people, why cant Pakistan do the same. More strict anti-terrorism laws needs to be set in Pakistan and Pakistani security authorities shouldn't be afraid to question suspicious people even when most of the suspicious people happen to be Afghani refugees, and if they cause trouble for Pakistan deport them..but still thats a lot of work for Pakistani authorities because many Afghan refugees hate Pakistan and commit all sort of crimes in Pakistan..it'll be in Pakistan's best interst to tell the world sorry we tried keeping Afghanis as guests in our country but our nation's interst comes first and our people's safety comes first so we cant take care of them and all of them need to go back to their country.

Pakistan is a nation of over 172 million people. As a nation, we have to put our people's safety first that is our duty.

If there are trouble-makers inside Pakistan who come from different countries, deport them/punish them like any other sovereign nation does.

Do you know how many Pakistanis and Middle Easterns have been deported since 9/11? Do you know how many Muslim families in US had the FBI coming to their house asking them questions.

Every sovereign nation cares for the safety of their people, why cant Pakistan do the same. More strict anti-terrorism laws needs to be set in Pakistan and Pakistani security authorities shouldn't be afraid to question suspicious people even when most of the suspicious people happen to be Afghani refugees, and if they cause trouble for Pakistan deport them..but still thats a lot of work for Pakistani authorities because many Afghan refugees hate Pakistan and commit all sort of crimes for Pakistan..it'll be in Pakistan's best interst to tell the world sorry we tried keeping Afghanis as guests in our country but our nation's interst comes first and our people's safety comes first so we cant take care of them and all of them need to go back to their country.

i totally agree with you 100%

but little addition here, the discrimination between good and bad people first.

if any pakistani is involved in killing innocnet, he will be hanked means either deported to hell or striped off form nationality. same goes with others, punish them, but do not bracket certain class, faction, society to specific crime.

Afghans are human beings, so treat them as one one, they commit crime, punish them accordingly, but do not call them infidels as they are muslims any way. remember there are good as well bad people in society, do we call our politicions good, bad or ugly?

it Inida+ raw who is causing it and they will pay the price, for sheeding innocent blood trust me

 

[Solomon2]

Your condescending statement "Will you make a personal effort, too? I doubt it." wreaks of the arrogance that ticks off most Pakistanis. While everyone in the West cries over every single soldier lost in combat in Afghanistan, try digging up even a single, sympathetic story for the over 1300 KIAs on the Pakistan side anywhere in the western media. Our boys are fighting and dying in a war that is being propelled by the occupation of a country in our neighborhood.

Absolutely right! Did you know that the best friend of one medieval Italian prince was his halberd? He used it to spear messengers bearing bad news. One can measure the success of this approach by counting the number of Italian princes that remain today.

I will add a modest suggestion, if I may: Pakistan should pay more attention to public diplomacy by putting its case before foreign audiences and responding to their concerns and questions. As it stands now, Baitullah and the Indians are creaming Pakistan on this battlefield.