Wanton violence: Shock as horrors of Quetta assault unfold

The horrors on a police training centre of Monday’s brazen terrorist attack unfolded on Tuesday.

The lethal firearm and suicide attack raised some cutting questions: how did the terrorists get into the facility where hundreds of cadets were under training? Why is the victim figure so high while security forces reacted nicely in time?

Officials concede security at the sprawling compound was not up to the mark.

Notwithstanding the fact it’s situated in a sensitive region where security forces frequently execute raids, the training center was surprisingly practically unguarded.

The terrorists took down a lone tower sentry before getting the reasons, in accordance with Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, who surprisingly refused to shoulder responsibility.

“They [terrorists] came in by jumping over the walls of the academy which are very low. A bullet ran and hit me, I still managed to flee,” 22-year-old cadet Hikmatullah recalled while speaking from his hospital bed where he was recuperating from a gunshot wound to the left shoulder.

Officials say there could be more than one potential reason behind the high death toll. They caught sight of once inside the facility, the terrorists fired randomly, killing everyone and anyone. In addition they threw incendiary bombs prepared with deadly substances.

The recruits were killed like sitting ducks because they were unarmed and could not put up a fight. The living quarters were headed directly for by the terrorists where they killed the officers guarding the main gate before entering the living rooms. Survivors say cadets hiding in their own rooms into opening were fooled by the terrorists.

“They entered the rooms one by one. They went in one room and fired inside it, then they went in another,” said Hikmatullah. They told the cadets that they were from the military and also knocked at the rooms that were fast, and when the doors opened, they fired at them, ” he added.

The methodical killing created chaos in the building. Cadet Zubair Ahmed said: “Some folks were jumping from windows, others were trying to climb out onto trees. I jumped out of a window via a tree and injured my shoulder and foot. I lay on the ground till I was rescued.”

Cadet Muhammad Sabar, who belongs to Turbat, said the deadly assault began around 11 in the night when they were preparing to sleep. “Suddenly, two terrorists came in and opened indiscriminate fire. They lobbed hand grenades and later one of them detonated his suicide vest.”

Cadet Hamza said that when the terrorists got inside the hostel and began going room to room to kill the recruits, they locked themselves.

“ They kicked the door to break it open but couldn’t. Chances are they went to barrack no 3 that is right opposite our barracks. And we heard crackle of gunshots followed by a deafening which, I believe, was when one of the attackers blew upward himself.”

“Two terrorists blew themselves up in the hostel, before his suicide vest could be triggered by him while the third was shot dead by commandos,” Bugti said.

Cellular video footage showed the hollowed remains of a big dormitory hall covered in thick black soot although the facility continued sealed to journalists.

IG FC Major General Sher Afgun attributed the deadly assault on the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) sectarian terrorist group.

The cadets that are surviving say the attackers were discussing Persian.

The Islamic State group also made a claim via Amaq, its associated news agency, and released a picture of what it said were the three attackers. The LeJ formally pledges allegiance to al Qaeda, the IS group ’s important competitor. But the double claims could be evidence of new linkages that stay not official, analysts say.

The victims were driven to Combined Military Hospital, Bolan Medical College Teaching Hospital and the Civil Hospital Quetta where medics said 12 of them were being treated for life-threatening wounds.

Military officials confirmed that a captain of a petty officer of FC and Pakistan Army were among the dead. They identified them as Captain Roohullah Mohmand and Subedar Muhammad Ali.

Most of the dead cadets belonged to other districts of Balochistan and Turbat, Panjgur, Chaman, Pishin, Naseerabad, Loralai. Thirty-four cadets hailed from Mekran area alone.

Maj Gen Afgun said the terrorists were receiving directions from neighbouring Afghanistan. He added that his force received advice about the attack at 11:10 pm and promptly army and FC commandos were sent to secure the facility. By the time, the commandos cordoned the area off, among the terrorists had blown up himself. He refused to share details.

Army leader General Raheel Sharif, headed straight to the police academy where he was briefed on the strike that was fatal and along with DG ISI Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, flew into Quetta. They also joined Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri and other senior government officials at an official funeral for the victims, whose bodies were put in coffins draped in white and borne by soldiers in dress uniform.

The assault was the third largest in Pakistan this year and a dismal reminder that for all its increases in its long fight against a homegrown Islamist insurgency, militants are still able to hit top state associations with serious blows.