Pakistan Beefs Up Border Patrol After Attacks in 3 Cities
PVOA News June 24, 2017
A Pakistani army spokesman said Saturday the military has beefed up the monitoring of Pakistan's border with Afghanistan after insurgents carried out attacks Friday on three major Pakistani cities – Quetta, Parachinar, Karachi.
Major General Asif Ghafoor said the attacks have been traced back to rebel sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
In addition, the Pakistani army says it conducted counter-terrorism raids overnight in Peshawar, killing three terrorists and arresting 12 suspects.
Officials in Pakistan said Saturday the death toll from the attacks in the three Pakistani cities rose overnight.
Attacks begin in Quetta
Nearly 100 people were injured in the attacks which began in the southwestern city of Quetta where the death toll has risen from 13 to 14, with 20 wounded. Senior police officers apparently were the target, with at least seven officers among the dead.
Both the Islamic State group and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack on Quetta.
Hours later, two back-to-back bombs went off in the northwestern town of Parachinar, targeting a crowded market in the semi-autonomous Kurram tribal district near the Afghan border.The death toll in Parachinar has risen from 25 to 50.
Sajid Turi, a member of parliament from the area, told local the media that a low-intensity blast occurred during afternoon rush hours, before a second powerful bomb exploded.
Death toll expected to increase
The lawmaker said he anticipated the death toll would increase. Hospital sources said more than 30 wounded people were brought in from the scene in "critical condition."
The population in the area where the deadly blasts occurred is predominantly Shi'ite Muslims.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the Parachinar blasts.
Later Friday evening, gunmen in the port city of Karachi attacked police officers at a roadside restaurant, killing five.
Ayaz Gul contributed to this report
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