Pakistani Taliban claim responsibility of Rangers HQ blast in Karachi
Rescue workers try to extinguish a fire at the site of a blast near the Ranger’s office in Karachi, Nov 8, 2012. — Photo by Reuters
KARACHI: Pakistani Taliban claimed the responsibility of a high-intensity blast targeting the Rangers Headquarters in Karachi’s North Nazimabad area early Thursday.
Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) Spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said that they have more targets on their list and those who would raise voices against them, the Taliban would target them.
He said that the Pakistani Taliban have their network in the country and would operate from wherever they wanted from.
According to media reports, a truck slammed into one of the entrances of the Rangers compound killing one person and leaving more than a dozen, including civilians, injured.
The injured were shifted to the city’s Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.
The blast was heard across the city and fear and panic gripped the citizens. It caused damage to nearby buildings and shattered windows in the vicinity.
Senior police official Javed Odho told a television channel that the bomber had used more than 100 kilograms of explosives in the attack.
Witnesses reported seeing a large plume of smoke in the sky.
Television footage of the blast site showed what appeared to be an apartment block with a gaping hole in the middle where the bomb went off and part of the two-story building was razed.
Emergency and rescue teams had reached the site of the explosion.
A portion of a building inside the Rangers compound collapsed and caught fire and efforts were being made to put out the blaze.
Rangers created a perimeter around the building to hold off journalists and bystanders.
One of the Rangers, Muhammed Farooq, said he was preparing for work when he looked out the window and saw a vehicle smash through the main gate and into the building.
”Then there was a really big bang and I lost my balance and I saw a lot of smoke and then I lost consciousness,” he said, speaking from the hospital.
The area was cordoned off by security forces as investigations into the incident went underway.
Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan and Interior Minister Rehman Malik condemned the attack and sought a report from IG Sindh on the incident.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
I feel sad for the Taliban who are not educated who are poor and politically made used by certain people for their ulterior motives.
Some one save Talibans.Let them come to mainstream and lead a peaceful and prosperous life.
Well done boys. Cordon off the area . Ask the IG for a report and then move on.Getting rid of terrorism is not your priority anyway.
Where was our army when Ranger HQ was attacked? The army we spent billions of dollars, and sacrificed the education, prosperity of our three generation to make them ten times more efficient than any enemy, the possessors of NUKES and for whom we sacrificed democracy many times for their whimsical experiments, yes, where was it when the attack came?
Sad that govt, army and the PML are fighting each other , calling press conferences to show their anger against one another, but no one including army willing to go and fight the terror mongers in their home turfs like N Waziristan etc.
Moreover one thing is clear – the TTP and such forces are getting support from ordinary local people in each and every town and many of us would actually be knowing these things are going to happen, but we are so filled with hate (those who are supporting the terrorists and Taliban), these people are not willing to divulge. Ordinary locals are as much to blams by direct or even indirect support, as they feel that by supporting these monsters they are helping their religion !
May Allah Almighty rest the Shaheeds in Jannatul Firdous and give Sabar to their families.
It seems the PPP government is scared of the TTP that it has forgotten the difference between right and wrong. The ‘go-ahead’ for an operation against the terrorists will not be given because either they do not have the funds, training, plus equipment to tackle them (e.g. Lyari operation) or the political will to go ahead with it.
Plausibly, all funds of the Sindh government have been frivolously spent and squandered with nothing to show in development terms and beefing up of security. The target killings and now suicide bombings are evidence of the unfolding scenario wherein the police are ill equipped and cannot go after the killers. Another reason being the political hobnobbing among politicians.
The TTP will eventually be defeated by the people of Pakistan and not by a government in suspended animation. Salams
How can Taliban call themselves Muslim?.Are they not afraid of burning in Hell?Allah doesn’t forgive sins committed against others.Everyone is answerable for their own actions.No one has a right to
take another person’s life.I am sure these people are mentally deranged.May Allah guide them
so that they don’t commit these horrible crimes against humanity and May Allah protect Pakistan from
such people.
They believe they are the true Muslims. I am sure they could produce quotes from Quran to prove their point of view.
That’s the kind of violence we have been dealing with in KPK and FATA almost on daily basis for the last decade and screaming to rest of Pakistanis to protect us from these elements. Yet you (rest of Pakistanis) can’t make up your mind about these savages, weather they are friends or foes, weather Pakistan should annihilate these elements or not. It’s not out of hatred but out of pain that I want to tell you (rest of Pakistan) that I am glad that you are experiencing what I have been going through for last decade, and may be it will wake you up. And if you still can’t make your mind then I will and I do support every thaleban atrocity in rest of Pakistan (minus KPK and FATA and Balochistan) and will wish them all the best of luck. They will be our good Talebans, the ones who don’t kill me but my neighbor just like you have your good Taleban who are destroying our lives and society in FATA and KPK.
We understand your pain bro. You and i both know how dumb people are all over the country. You will find many taliban sympathizers as well as taliban haters. Its a shame we haven’t all united to wipe them out.
Taliban is just the trade name used by any group trained and funded by mesterious forces which our security and intelligence agencies must unearth and share with the public. Where are the explossives coming from and how they know such targets. It is very strange that the so called taliban spokesman makes a telephone call and accepts the responsibilities but the whereabout of the caller is unknown? How comes?.
Government and Military needs to talk and get rid of terrorists. Just blaming each other is not going to work. I don’t see any opposition party leader talking about terrorists but every day I see Drones have to stop. What kind of IQ does our leaders have? What is stopping them from getting TTP guys?
is the question on everyone’s mind. Kayani knows the answer? Zardari knows the answer and so does every leader. They are scarred of TTP and and have made deal with them to be around so they can use them for their own good. TTP is not going to go away until all those unwanted are killed and they have a say in operation of Pakistan. No civilized world leader keeps quite the way they do in Pakistan. TTP has guts to come down and kill the law enforcers and other innocent people. These guts cannot be guts unless someone let them have such guts. Hell to those who let it happen.
What other proof does Pakistani government and army needs to convince them that these people are the enemy of Islam and Pakistan and there is only one solution for this problem is take a decisive action against them and finish them forever. Majority of Pakistanis want Pakistani army to take action against these animals except few Mullahs. Please take action against TTP and save Pakistan.
These innocent rangers had committed no sin. How long are we to tolerate this?
the shias of gilgit baltistan dont think they are so innocent
MAy Allah bless our country. We must do everything to get rid of extremists & extremism from our country.
We should think who could be behind this attack and many more taking place in the country. Karachi is specifically targeted as compared to the other cities of the Sindh mainly because it is the back bone of Pakistan,s economy and the enemy wants paralyses in her economy. Just think who can afford a life with every suicide bombing and the the cost incurring there in.
I am just a shopkeeper work everyday 14 to 16 hours a day …..and I can say that with all the confidence and out any professional experience if I spend the same time in finding out all the terrorist in Pakistan ….I guess in 90 days I will catch some big ones rats in the city of Karachi for the starters. And I cannot believe that thousands of ranger and police can’t even stop crime and killings only for 1 week in Karachi. What’s the problem.
1- It’s funny that when government was deciding to attack N. Waziristan because of Malala’s case, the worry was that the Taliban will retaliate with more bombing. I don’t think this is true. They will attack you anyways.
2-It’s funny how proud Zardari is when he speaks of how many people in our country have sacrificed their lives because of our war against terrorism. Zardari, it is not sacrifice. We didn’t make a choice to get killed.
3-It’s funny how selfish Imran Khan is in commenting against Taliban when a bomb blows up but how selflessly supports the humanity value of negotiating with the Taliban. God save us from Imran Khan from ever coming to power, even Zardari is a better person than him.
4-It’s funny how much our nation hated Musharaf for taking action against Taliban, and yet cry and feel helpless when their family members die in suicide bombings.
5-It’s funny how the Taliban apologists will send emails about how important prayers 5 times a day is, but fail to see gravity of the evil in killing innocent people in cold blood.
6-It’s funny to see how someone will give me a thumbs down to my comment, but would not want to send his child to become a Taliban or even worse, not want to experience the death of a close family member at the hand of the Taliban.
I could go on and on… but no one will listen.
Time for Marshal law………..Again !!!
Shair Paoo need to read this if he knows to read…..
Why Imran Khan is condemning attack like these? or IK think only people who are dying of dron attack are human beings?
IK is national and International. This is local. MQM should be doing that. Not him. What makes you think they are not behind it?
I am a Khan Supporter but i give your comment a thumbs up.