Deadly ambush: Attack on Quetta Express leaves 3 dead, 19 injured
At least three people were killed and 19 others injured when a group of armed men opened fire and lobbed rockets on a passenger train near Mach Town, some 60 kilometers southeast of Quetta on Sunday.
Qaim Ali, the assistant commissioner of Mach, told reporters that the Peshawar-bound Quetta Express had just crossed Irak Station in Kachhi district, popularly known as Bolan, when it came under heavy attack.
Armed men who had taken up positions at a nearby mountain top to ambush the passing train first launched three to four rockets and then opened indiscriminate sub-machinegun fire. Personnel of Frontier Corps, Police and Balochistan Levies returned fire and chased the attackers who fled the scene, official sources said.
A spokesman from the banned outfit Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) later telephoned newspaper offices to blatantly claim responsibility for the attack.
The deceased and injured were taken to Provincial Sandeman Hospital Quetta where the three deceased were identified as Maqbol Ahmed, resident of Vehari, Mujeeb Ahmed, resident of Bahawalpur and Rahim Bakhsh, resident of Nasirabad. According to hospital sources, all victims received bullet wounds while four of the injured are in critical condition.
“I heard two explosions followed by intense firing and remained under my seat. It’s a good thing the driver did not stop the train till reaching Mach station,” one of the injured Mushtaq told The Express Tribune.
Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani, the chief minister of Balochistan has strongly condemned the incident and said the “Assailants don’t deserve to be called Muslims as they did not spare innocent people during the holy month of Ramazan. This is terrorism and culprits will be dealt with iron hands.”
According to security officials the train stayed at Mach station for three hours after the incident before resuming its journey to Peshawar.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2011.
COMMENTS (10)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1719660634-1/BeFunky-collage-nicole-(1)1719660634-1-165x106.webp "article")
1732276540-0/kim-(10)1732276540-0-165x106.webp "article")
Crimes against Pakistan and innocent people by Foreign hands that have been funding their puppets with massive weapons to create terrorism and bloodshed to weaken the country. There has been an urgent need for strict security for a long time and it is now past due!
This is just one of the many daily sad scenes happening through out Pakistan. So many daily attacks on the Pakistani public from so many directions. The government ought to have been better prepared and not open any friendship borders for trade or tourism as that has invited terrorist waiting for opportunaties. Pakistan has had enough warnings and rude awakenings to tighten up its gaurds and borders but instead they seem to open so called friendship bus routes to india for so called trade . . . .this is no time for such gestures . . . .this is time to watch your own backyard with a tight guard and prevent more innocent public from dying. There is no excuse for this carnage and there is no excuse to live off by blaming previous administrations for so long. This is absolutely present government's responsiblity and all excuses are unacceptable!! Too many people dying and law and order has gone to dogs. . . . . horror stories of blasts, torture and kidnappings are unforgettable, disgraceful and needs accountablity in the court of law as crimes against humanity towards its people!
The Baloch and the Pashtun tribal code swears by REVENGE. These are acts of revenge. Imagine such numerous indiscriminate localized attacks happening every other day. Pakistani forces will be critically stretched and drawn thin in every front. The constant whipping can ultimately devastate them physically and morally. If these attacks are an indication of what is going to be the future then Pakistan will have no option but increase its defence and intelligence expenditure.where will this money come from ? Will there be more cuts in development expenditure ? How will Pakistan deal with security vs development trade off ? These attacks leave so many such questions with no single answer.
@Aamir: In all fairness all of these attacks started under the Musharraf dictatorship. How can any elected government fix the problems there caused by 9 years of dictatorship in under four years? There are anti state criminals working on the payroll of foreign agencies to go out and kill innocent Pakistanis. How can one protect each and every citizen in public places from cowards who attack unarmed civilians? This will take time to root out.
This is absolutely nonsence act. Can they achieve thier objectives with this. I am amazed with this vandalizism.
An addition to the shameful acts of Baloch militants and claimed by BLA the organization of illitrate people lead by the Hairbayar Marri, residing in UK. Such acts may be glorified in the tradition of Baloch Militants, but it is an act of cowardice. Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani, the chief minister of Balochistan has strongly condemned the incident .” Can he do any thing more than just making a hollow statement. The best would be that he keeps quiet as he is a non entity in the situation.
@Baloch: oh di you really? then how about bringing an end to u know the ethnic cleansing in balochistan? tell ur brothers to stop killing settlers.
Settlers shot down by nationalists. Sad
PPP has failed in Pakistan due to visionless leadership and corrupt partners. They are squarely responsible for protecting citizens of Pakistan at any cost. They are unable to protect them and just wasting time.