Scourge of militancy: Two women among five slain in Kharotabad clash

Five-hour long gun battle between FC personnel and LeJ activists.

QUETTA:

At least five people, including two women and a child, were killed and 15 security personnel injured in a clash on Thursday with members of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ)in the Kharoatabad area of the provincial capital.

Security sources told media that police backed by Frontier Corps (FC) personnel raided Kharotabad area of the provincial capital following a tip-off about some members of a banned outfit at a house in Killi Barat area of Kharotabad on the outskirts of Quetta.

“Security personnel surrounded the house and asked the accused to surrender upon which the perpetrators attacked the security personnel with hand grenades, rockets and heavy weapons,” security sources said, adding that 15 security personnel, including an officer were injured.

The injured were identified as Lieutenant Colonel Bilal Ahmed, Lance Naik Abdul Samad, Sepoy Shafi, Salam, Nazeer Ahmed, Nadeem, Inayatullah and Arid.

Sources said that security personnel fired back in retaliation due to which five people, including two accused and two women and a child who were inside the house lost their lives.

“Militants inside the house blew themselves up to avoid their arrest, leaving two women and a child dead,” sources further added. Residents of the area told media persons that the firing started at midnight and continued till morning with intervals. “We also heard heavy explosions that rocked the entire area and spread panic among the people,” they added.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operation Fayyaz Sumbal told the media that the firefight went on for about 5 hours. More than 20 explosions took place in that period which also included four Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts. “At 8:00am when security personnel surrounded the house and tried to arrest the accused, they detonated themselves,” he added.

DIG Operation said that the security personnel and members of the intelligence agencies, who sustained injuries in the attack, were in stable condition and were admitted in Combined Military Hospital (CMH) for medical aid.

The dead bodies of the accused, women and child were shifted to Civil Hospital for medico-legal formalities. One of the accused was identified was Habibullah while the identity of the other could not be ascertained.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2013.