August 2017 Lahore bombing

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August 2017 Lahore bombing
Part of Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Lahore Map.PNG
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Band Road
Pakistan Punjab location map.svg
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Band Road
Pakistan location map.svg
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Band Road
LocationBand Road, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Coordinates 31°32′9.74″N74°16′34.87″E / 31.5360389°N 74.2763528°E / 31.5360389; 74.2763528
Date7 August 2017
21:00 (PKT)
Attack type
Truck bombing
Weapons Explosive material
Deaths2
Injured35
No. of participants
1
Motive Islamic extremism

On 7 August 2017, a truck bombing occurred at Band Road in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Two people were killed and 35 others were wounded.[ citation needed ] Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan is suspected to have perpetrated the attack.

Contents

Background

Lahore suffered several terrorist incidents in 2017. This attack came two weeks after a suicide bombing that claimed 26 lives, [1] which followed a blast targeting a census team in April [2] and a bombing that killed 13 people in February. [3]

Intelligence before the attack

According to a news article published in Daily Dunya on 1 August, law enforcement agencies had diligently informed the Inspector General of the Punjab Police, Arif Nawaz, about the details and specific locations of the highly possible terror attacks. [4]

The agencies passed on information that several facilitators and groups of banned outfits near fruit markets were actively transporting explosive materials, weapons, suicide jackets and timing devices via trucks and secretly occupying several buildings where they planned terror activities, the report stated.[ citation needed ]

Warning the police officials, the agencies said that the checkpoints near the fruit markets were insufficient to ensure safety and security. The agencies directed them to carry out intelligence-based and combing operations in and around the target areas so that those who want to carry out the attacks in Punjab cannot do so easily. [5]

Attack

At around 20:50 UTC+5:00, a truck loaded with fruit exploded, killing two and injuring 35 people. [6] Injuries were caused by debris of the building that collapsed as a result of explosion. More than 100 vehicles near the explosion were also damaged. The roof of a nearby school collapsed. [7] The explosion caused damage to an electrical transformer and consequently the electrical supply was suspended and the area of the explosion was darkened. People initially thought that the electrical transformer had exploded. [6] The explosion left a 10-foot crater on the ground. Parts of the truck were found several hundred meters away from the explosion site. [8]

Aftermath

As the explosion occurred about 300 meters away from Rescue 1122's headquarters, Rescue 1122 teams began to take the injured to Mian Munshi Hospital and Moyo Hospital. Security officials cordoned off the area. The bomb disposal squad reached the site and discovered that 80 kilograms of explosive material was used. [9]

Following the attack, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) teams began their search operation. A few hours after the attack, a clash erupted between 7 terrorists and the CTD team in which 4 terrorists were shot dead while 3 others managed to flee in the dark. The terrorists were identified as Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan's militants. [10]

Reactions

CM Punjab Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and directed the authorities to investigate it. [11]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Wagah border suicide attack</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Lahore suicide bombing</span> Anti-Christian terrorist attack by the Taliban in Lahore, Pakistan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">August 2016 Quetta attacks</span> 2016 terrorist attack in Quetta, Pakistan

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An explosion took place at around 10am on 23 February 2017 in a commercial market in Y-block of Defence, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, killing 10 people.

On 24 July 2017, a suicide bombing took place in a vegetable market in Lahore, Pakistan. 26 people were killed and 58 others were wounded as a result of the explosion. Security officials believe that the attack targeted policemen, as there were 9 killed and 6 wounded. Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.

On 12 August 2017, a suicide bombing took place near a Pakistan army truck in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, leaving 15 people dead including 8 soldiers, while injuring 40 others. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2022 include:

References

  1. "26 killed in blast near Lahore's Ferozepur Road". Dawn . 24 July 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  2. Waseem, Riaz (5 April 2017). "5 armed forces personnel slain in Lahore blast targeting census team". Dawn. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  3. Gabol, Imran (13 February 2017). "Senior police officers among 13 killed as suicide bomber strikes Lahore". Dawn. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  4. "??". Daily Dunya. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  5. Rao, Hamza (7 August 2017). "Lahore blast: Agencies had informed IG Punjab about possible terror attack in fruit market". Daily Pakistan . Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  6. 1 2 Muhammad, Shehzad (7 August 2017). "Bomb rips through fruit truck in Lahore; 45 injured". The Express Tribune . Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  7. Imran, Gabol (7 August 2017). "Blast on Lahore's Outfall Road leaves 46 injured". Dawn . Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  8. "Truck blast terrifies Lahore". The Nation . 7 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  9. "30 injured in blast near Lahore's Band Road". Daily Pakistan . 7 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  10. "Lahore blast: Four terrorists killed in CTD raid". Samaa TV . 7 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  11. "One killed, 39 wounded in truck bomb blast in Lahore". Dunya News . 7 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.