KARACHI: At around 7:14 am on Friday, a roadside bomb exploded on main University Road near Safoora Chowrangi, injuring seven Rangers men, three of whom died shortly after.
The authorities claim that the Rangers were in their vehicle and on duty at their regular spot when the bomb went off nearly 15 feet away. They said that it was buried near a tree.
The Rangers were taken to Combined Military Hospital, Malir, where Naik Muhammad Rashid, Sepoy Muhammad Ibrahim and Sepoy Ijaz Ahmed succumbed to their injuries.
The blast not only damaged the Rangers mobile but blew all sorts of glass exteriors and windows in the area to smithereens.
The police suspect that the bomb could have been planted on Thursday night to disrupt the procession that was scheduled to pass through. However, the procession went ahead undisturbed. The Rangers claim that it was just another cowardly act by terrorists.
“The Rangers were their target, there is no doubt about it,” said Brigadier Waseem Ayub while talking to the media after the funeral. “You see, this had to happen given our performance in the last four months and the Ashura procession.” He felt that the people had planted the bomb purely out of frustration.
People in the neighbourhood said that the entire area was in shock after the blast because it was so powerful and was heard for miles. However, no one actually witnessed the explosion. “The injured Rangers just lay there screaming,” said a man while talking to The Express Tribune. “We took them to the hospital with the help of police and other Rangers.”
According to one 25-year-old man at the scene, a motorcyclist threw some sort of explosive materials at the Rangers. So far, the authorities have not confirmed this story.
District East DIG Naeem Borkha confirmed that three Rangers were killed and four more were injured. He added that no civilian was injured in the blast and an investigation was being carried out.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack by the time this report was filed, however the authorities believe that militants are to blame.
The investigators claim that evidence suggested a resemblance with the blasts which took place on 9th and 10th Muharram.
According to the brigadier, a terrorist group was behind the attacks and they were trying to figure out which one.
Namaz-e-Janaza
The funeral prayers were offered at the Rangers Bhittai wing and were attended by DG Rangers, IG Police and other officials.
Brigadier Ayub spoke to the media and said that eight Rangers were present when the blast took place. “The terrorists targeted our jawans when they were on duty,” he said. “At 8 am, the other shift was about to start. The terrorists must have planted the bomb at night.”
The law enforcement agencies were put on high alert while Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan said that the families would receive a compensation of two million rupees each and the injured would receive Rs0.2 million.
The Bomb Disposal Squad did not find any evidence which would help suggest what sort of device was used. An official from the squad said that they were trying to find out if the terrorists used a timer or a remote. Initial investigations showed that the bomb weighed 3.5 kilogrammes and could have had an impact for up to 84 square feet. The official added that the bomb was quite similar to the one used on December 5 and December 6. “They were all uni-direction bombs,” he said. “This means that they would only explode and cause damage in the direction they were kept or set in. The same group made all three bombs.”
About two years ago, a Rangers mobile was targeted near A O Clinic in Nazimabad. The blast left several Rangers injured and the police are said to have arrested some men from the Jundallah group for the attack.
FIR No. 808/11 under section 4/5 of the Explosives Act, section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code was registered at the Sachaal police station on behalf of the Rangers Inspector Sajjad.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 10th, 2011.
COMMENTS (33)
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Who care who annouces reponsibility, the little terrorist can be squashed instantly but what about the Master Ring Leader?? - Go after the funder and the financier. There's got be huge financing behind these mentally retarded puppets. Pakistan needs to find the puppet masters and the foreign spies and their net work. Foreign agents who are loaded with money and they seem to be controlling the puppets feeding them money to commit terrorism. Time for the admninistaration to wake up, do its job, tighten up its belts and borders sooner than later. The big haunting question is . . . .how could this administration allow foreign spy agencies and their network on their soil for so long?? they have mudied the grounds and made it very difficult to clean up!
Unless these terrorist are well financed, these acts of terrorism cannot happen. Foreign agents have funded these terrorist to perform such acts to destabalize cities of Pakistan and the Ring Leader is India leading other countries as its Partners in Crime. So, there may be more than one country's agents involved in this horrific crime on the humanity. The current leadership in Pakistan chooses to being blind about India - granting MFN, opening bus routes etc etc, due to greed for money, enabling security risks due to more infiltration, and is therefore also held responsible for this blood bath. As long as this scenario continues, then there is no gaurantee for peace and stability.
@Lobster: We did give them a chance in Swat, for example, when we impose Shariat there then they broke the agreement and then we fight them and free the people of Swat from their barbarism.
@Lobster: no... ...pakistan is not fighting this war full heatedly. we have brothers of terrorists every where from army to politics. how can we win a war while having traitors within us?
Karachi has seen its fair share of violence. Just recently, did we not see five terrorists who blew themselves up along with two policemen in the Clifton area? Did we not hear about the blast on Kalapul on the day of Ashura? The attack today resulted in three more brave soldiers losing their lives. Our sincere condolences go out to the friends and families of these brave men serving their nation. The responsibility of acknowledging their sacrifices rests upon us, and by blaming others, do you not give credence to the terrorists and undermine the sacrifices made by the people, who are willing to lay their lives down for the nation?
Conspiracy theorists have been busy spreading misinformation and blaming CIA, Mossad and RAW, while the real terrorists keep on killing without remorse. Time and again, we see these terrorists proudly claiming responsibility for their evil deeds, yet we try to put the blame elsewhere. Do we not regret offering Taliban the chance to control the Swat valley? Did they not show us their true colors? It is time to call a spade a spade and go after the terrorists, whether they are in the remote mountains of Northern Pakistan or the streets of Karachi or Lahore. The seriousness of the situation requires us to refrain from indulging in conspiracy theories for the sake of keeping our nations safer, and unless we do that, we are simply preventing peace from prevailing.
Maj David Nevers DET-United States Central Command www.centcom.mil/ur
CIA will use all means to destroy any semblance of normality in Pakistan's largest city. It is known to our intelligence outfits that CIA use Baloch sepratists in Balochistan to kill Punjabis, Army men and police. They routinely target Rangers in the name of 'cleansing' province from Punjabis. When Baloch sepratists, on funding from CIA, are unable to do anything in Balochistan they turn to Karachi where hiding is easy. We hope our various intelligence agencies will be able to get to the culprits.
@Maryam: "Give Peace a chance" is the slogan after we failed to fight them! Admit it, the war has produced more terrorists than killing them.
The fact that Pakistani soil has been infested with a network of foreign agents under the watch of the current administration, the nation is suffering and subjected to a blood bath never experienced before!! What was the leadership thinking for so long? When the leadership tries to put its faith in services of foreign agents rather than its own Arm Forces . . . . its working against its own people as the foreign agents are not fond of the Pakistani people!
@Afgans: Its because of you guys that Pakistan is in this situation.. And yes it is your war that we are fighting
@Khawlah: Yes you are right Khawlah. If we apply this Give Peace a Chance then it means that we have not catch the culprit of cirmes and let them not face the law of the land as the new law of the land is give peace a chance.
@Khawlah..it think maryam's comment is not sarcastic but reflects the mindset of the pro-PTI type youth who have very short memories and have forgotten what happened when peace was given a chance in Swat!
I live nearby. Woke up with the sound of blast and asked my husband if it was actually a blast, heard a helicopter after a few minutes (probably for surveillance) and realized something had actually happened.
@Maryam: Dear sister, I think this is a sarcastic comment from you targeted towards the people who are in denial.
Let's give peace a chance and stop all our operations against militants and TTP. They will voluntary stop these blasts and will become law-abiding good citizens.
Blackwater works
@Naeem Siddiqui - how do you blame the citizens of Karachi for this? Citizens of Karachi are suffering as much as the whole Pakistan, or may be more. How exactly do you want us to help? Citizens of Karachi have been screaming for a while regarding the influx of afghanistani immigrants and seizure of entry points to the city, but then the Karachiites were labelled as 'racist' and playing on 'ethnic politics'. What exactly do you want us to do? start a guerilla war? or start immigrating to pahktunkhua and afghanistan for a counter attack?
Imran Khan still thinks this is someone else's war. Sad.
TTP and CIA join hands against the common enemy.
@afghan , very poetic ..Too good .."They are ALL bad and ONLY look good when they are dead."
Rangers are doing excellent job! Rest in peace.
Conspiracy by ... ... .... .. ... ... ... .. .. . . ..
@Gul Khan:
Still you conspiring, RIP, rangers and sanity amongst the society.
this is reply of taliban to 'dr' rehman malik's thanks.
May their souls rest in peace.
@Gul Khan: Has some one from the members of TTP, LeJ or SSP captured so far has ever confessed to have links with CIA, MOSSAD or RAW? As long as you don't accept the reality that the terrorists are among you and they operate for an ideological rhetoric NOT for some one who the world knows are their enemies, i.e. USA, India and Israel. And also, the same tragic incidents will keep on happening unless you stop drawing a distinctive line among them; they are not good and bad. They are ALL bad and ONLY look good when they are dead.
@Adil:
this is no slap but a reality that we live in. stop criticising people and get useful.
Foreign agents roaming around on Pakistani soil causing blasts right and left and terrorising the nation. What a legacy, this administration is leaving behind!
@Adil: Attacks have suddenly diminished to great extent considering the last few years.
When will this madness end? May Allah have mercy on the souls of those Rangers who died protecting the city.
@Adil
This is a slap to the citizens of Karachi as well who dont bother to help and cooperate with security agencies in order to track and hunt down millitants.
CIA's reaction to the blocking of NATO supply.
this is a slap to those who were saying violence is decreasing. This our own finance capital and its bombed regularly just like that. my heart bleeds for my city.
Rip. .I hope they will go to jannat..
I heard that blast this morning..