JOIN US61 killed in attack on Pak police college
At least 61 people, mostly young cadets, were massacred and more than 100 injured when heavily-armed Islamic State (IS) militants attacked a police training centre here.
The hours-long attack on the facility — home to nearly 700 recruits — lasted until the early hours of Tuesday.
At least three gunmen stormed Quetta’s sprawling Police Training College on Monday night and targeted the sleeping quarters. They first killed a police guard at the watchtower and then stormed the dormitory where cadets rested. The attack sent the terrified men aged between 15 and 25 fleeing for safety. Many of the cadets jumped off the rooftops to try to escape.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers were armed with kalashnikovs. The attack appeared well coordinated, with experts saying the militants fired at the training centre from five points.
Most of the deaths occurred when two of the attackers blew themselves up. The third was shot dead by Frontier Corps troops. Officials said most of the 61 killed were police cadets but some of the casualties were of army personnel who responded to the attack.
“We can confirm 61 dead in the attack at the police training college. They include 60 police cadets and one army solider,” officials said. More than 125 people were admitted to hospitals. About 20 of them were critical.
IG Frontier Corps (FC) Maj Gen Sher Afghan said the three terrorists were believed to be from the Al-Alimi faction of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group affiliated to the Pakistani Taliban. He told reporters the militants were communicating with handlers in Afghanistan and taking instructions from them. All three attackers were wearing suicide vests.
Later, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.