PAKISTAN: At least 11 killed in brazen attack on court

Record ID: 354230

  • Title: PAKISTAN: At least 11 killed in brazen attack on court
  • Date: 3rd March 2014
  • Summary: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (MARCH 3, 2014) (REUTERS) ISLAMABAD HIGH COURTS VARIOUS OF DAMAGE IN NARROW ALLEY BETWEEN COURTS WHERE ATTACK OCCURRED POLICEMEN LOOKING AT RUBBLE LAWYERS/REPORTERS STANDING OUTSIDE SECURITY CORDON POLICEMEN AT ATTACK SITE SECURITY CORDON AROUND ATTACK SITE SOLDIERS AT BLAST SITE LAWYERS RUNNING OUT OF COURTS SOLDIERS RUNNING THROUGH ALLEY INJURED LAWY
  • Embargoed: 18th March 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Pakistan
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Reuters ID: LVABARB6DSYV4LAE81OTEVF197LF
  • Story Text: Gunmen burst into a court in a busy shopping area in the centre of the Pakistani capital on Monday, killing at least 11 people in a brazen attack likely to shatter any prospect of meaningful peace negotiations with Taliban insurgents.
    A loud explosion reverberated across central Islamabad just after 9 a.m. (0400 GMT) followed by bursts of gunfire. Police said at least 30 were wounded. A judge was among those killed.
    "After that there were three or four explosions. All the judges and lawyers present in the court ran for shelter. The police also retaliated with some firing. Then when we heard chants of "Allah o Akbar" (Allah is the Greatest), we realized that the Taliban had attacked. After that they kicked doors of chambers and fired at the lawyers present there," a witness, lawyer Khwaja Javaid Iqbal said.
    No one immediately claimed responsibility, but the attack is likely to show that the central Taliban leadership, which declared a month-long ceasefire over the weekend, is not fully in control of its operations.
    Taliban fighters stage frequent attacks around the country, but such assaults are rare in Islamabad, the leafy and hilly seat of Pakistan's government.
    Broken glass and charred human remains littered the site of the blast at the F8 market area as residents and police rushed around in bloodstained clothes. A severed leg lay atop the rubble.
    Pools of blood and severed body parts were scattered on the floor of several offices. Police said gunmen fired at random targets in the area after the initial court explosion.
    Police blocked entry and exit points to the area, a maze of narrow, dusty streets lined with one-room shops and offices.
    Camouflaged commandos knocked on doors and secured street corners as they combed through the area for more militants.
    The Taliban, a fragmented group consisting of dozens of smaller bands of militants, said this weekend they would observe a one-month ceasefire to try to revive peace talks and called on all groups to observe it.
    Talks broke down last month after a series of attacks and counterattacks by the army and the insurgents.
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