Two military men’s killing raises stakes

Gunmen target Military Police vehicle on MA Jinnah Road; investigators claim same weapon used in 11 recent attacks

KARACHI:

Masked gunmen shot dead two Military Police (MP) soldiers in a drive-by shooting on Tuesday in Karachi, where a paramilitary Rangers-led surgical operation has been under way for the past two years.

The gunmen struck when the military men were sitting inside their official jeep near Gul Plaza on MA Jinnah Road. According to preliminary post-mortem reports, both were shot once in the head. The bodies were later moved to the PNS Shifa Hospital.

“Two gunmen riding a motorcycle fired multiple shots at the personnel from the back of the military jeep,” the area police chief, DIG Dr Jameel Ahmed, told The Express Tribune.

One of the victims died on the spot while the other succumbed to his injuries during treatment at the Civil Hospital Karachi. They were identified as Lance Naik Rashid and Constable Arshad.

Witnesses said the attackers had been lurking at the crime scene. “As soon as one of the soldiers came out of a shopping centre and sat in the jeep, the gunmen opened fire at them,” said one of the shopkeepers. The area is dotted with shopping malls.

Investigators are trying to obtain CCTV footage to identify the attackers. Geo-fencing for gathering mobile communications in the area has already started.

Slain Military Police soldiers. PHOTO: FILE

Investigators have collected five 9mm empties from the spot. Ballistic reports suggest the same weapon was used in a recent targeted attack on the Rangers. Four paramilitary soldiers stationed outside a mosque during Friday prayers in Baldia Town were killed by armed motorcyclists on November 20.

Investigators believe the same weapon has been used in 11 terrorist attacks. The same gun might have been used in the targeted killing of four cops, three doctors and an Awami National Party leader in the past two years.

However, this was first time the weapon was used in District South. All earlier hits were in District West, which includes Mominabad, Pirabad, Saeedabad, Madina Colony, Orangi Town and Ittehad Town.

Although no militant group immediately claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, police believe the recent uptick in violence could be a reprisal for the ongoing operations in North Waziristan Agency and Karachi.

The spot where the MP soldiers were slain has seen violent attacks in the past as well. Last year, two police vans were attacked by terrorists at the same place.

Both the attacks were later claimed by the Islamic State-inspired militants, who were arrested for the gruesome murder of 45 Ismaili community members on a bus in Safoora Goth.

While incidents of political and sectarian targeted killings have gone down since the Karachi operation started in September 2013, recent attacks against security forces suggest militants have narrowed down their targets. Some 250 policemen and 30 Rangers have lost their lives since the operation was launched. However, the attack on army personnel is unprecedented.

PM condemns attack

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was in London on his way back from Paris, condemned the attack on the military police.

In a message issued from London, the premier said the government would not be deterred by such cowardly terrorist attacks. “Peace and stability is the future of Karachi because of the national resolve against terrorists and great sacrifices made by our soldiers,” he stated.

Sympathising with the families of the slain soldiers, he said the martyrs had sacrificed their lives for a peaceful and prosperous Pakistan.


Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2015.