quetta
Dozens killed and more than a hundred injured - the result of a raid of terrorists on the Police Academy in Quetta, Balochistan province.

What happened

The attack took place at night from Monday to Tuesday. Initially police academy students were taken hostage. Later it became known that the terrorists committed a mass shooting. 59 people were killed and 117 wounded. It is likely that the number of victims will increase. The police and the authorities claim that it is the most massive and deadly attack in recent years.


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Officials said that five or six armed men had attacked the dormitory of the Balochistan Police College on the outskirts of Quetta where cadets were resting and sleeping, provoking a counterterrorism response from the army and Frontier Corps. "Two attackers blew themselves up, while a third one was shot in the head by security men," said Sarfaraz Bugti, home minister of Balochistan. Bugti added that more than 200 of the 700 cadets at the academy were quickly rescued.

The faction of the Taliban and the connection with al-Qaeda

The responsibility for these actions was claimed by the Hakimullah group, who represents one of the structures of the Taliban. According to the Pakistani military, the attackers received instructions from neighboring Afghanistan, from the group linked to Al-Qaeda. But the attack has a religious factor, since Shiites were chosen on purpose.

Afghanistan in turn condemned the attack and denied accusations by Pakistan that the attack was planned from bases in Afghanistan. "Afghanistan is the biggest victim of terrorism and condemns all terrorist attacks" - said Mohammed Haroon Chakhanshiri, a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

Security problems

During the attack inside the academy, there were about 700 people, including students, instructors and staff. Something strange is the fact that the building is not well guarded, and the group of militants easily penetrated the facility. The region has long been plagued by regular outbreaks of rebellions of low intensity, and separatism. In addition, Quetta is a strategic point of militants using the Kandahar-Quetta route.