QUETTA: In an hours-long operation, four militants were killed and around 200 police recruits — who had been held hostage at a hostel by a group of heavily armed militants after they stormed a sprawling police training centre in Quetta — were rescued on Monday night.

Although the exact number of attackers was not known, the Inter Services Public Relations said that between five and six militants attacked the facility, located some 13 kilometres from the city centre, and law enforcement agencies, led by the Pakistan Army, were carrying out an operation till our going to press.

Balochistan Health Secre­tary Noorul Haq Baloch told Dawn that at least one cadet, identified as Muhammad Zubair, was killed in the attack.

A heavy exchange of gunfire took place between security agencies and the militants and at least four explosions, including a loud one, were also heard in the city.

Four attackers dead; one cadet killed, over 200 police recruits rescued: officials

Officials said that army commandos killed two militants and two others blew themselves up in the hostel.

They said that over 200 police recruits were rescued by the security agencies and shifted to a safer place.

At least 30 police recruits and two personnel of the Frontier Corps were wounded — 27 of them sustained bullet and burns wounds while the rest of them got hurt after jumping off the hostel’s windows in their bid to escape firing.

They were shifted to the Quetta Civil Hospital for treatment.

So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The officials said that the attackers, who wore suicide vests, entered the New Sariab Police Training Centre from five different points and opened indiscriminate fire. They entered the hostel and held between 200 and 250 recruits at gunpoint.

In addition to police, FC and army troops reached the scene and cordoned off the area. Commander of the Southern Command Lt Gen Aamir Riaz also reached the spot to supervise the operation against militants. Balochistan police chief Ahsan Mehboob and senior officials of the army, FC and other security agencies were also present there.

A state of emergency was declared in all Quetta hospitals and doctors and paramedics were called in.

Balochistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti told reporters outside the police training centre that around 700 recruits were living in the hostel, but it was not clear how many of them were inside today as recently a batch of cadets had completed their training.

However, police officials said that over 200 recruits were present at the hostel.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri told a television channel that Quetta had been on high alert for the past many days as intelligence agencies had issued a warning that some terrorists, including suicide bombers, had entered the city. “They did not get a chance [to strike] in the city, so they carried out this attack on the city’s outskirts.”

He said that Quetta was located in a conflict zone. “We are fighting a war against terrorism and our focus is to end terrorists.”

An aerial surveillance of the sprawling facility was being conducted by three army helicopters.

There are three hostels in the training centre and the militants stormed the one which is meant for new recruits.

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016