QUETTA: Security forces foiled a terror attack in Lor­alai, as two suicide bombers were shot dead while an­other bomber being cha­sed by law enforcers blew himself up on Wednesday.

The incident left a policeman martyred and five others, including a woman and two police constables, wounded.

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack on Loralai Police Lines on its website.

Security officials said three suicide bombers wearing explosive-laden vests attempted to cross the Police Lines gate, which at the time of the attack was closed. They opened fire on police personnel deployed there and in an ensuing exchange of fire one of the suicide bombers was killed, while his two accomplices managed to enter the premises.

Security forces chased the two bombers during which another bomber detonated his vest while police killed the third attacker in Loralai Police Lines.

“All the three suicide bombers were killed by the security forces, while a policeman lost his life in the exchange of fire,” said senior police officer Abdul Rehman Luni.

Policeman Head Constable Allah Nawaz embraced martyrdom in the attack while two police constables, a woman and two others received injuries, security officials said.

The injured were later identified as Sajjad Ahmed, Mohammad Alam, Mohammad Idrees, Ataur Rehman Tareen and Fatima Bibi. They were shifted to the Loralai District Headquarter Hospital for treatment.

Balochistan Governor retired Justice Amanullah Yasinzai and Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani condemned the attack and expressed sympathies with the family of the martyr.

Loralai has remained under the grip of violence since the beginning of this year as more than a dozen people have been killed in separate firing and suicide attacks in the city.

On Jan 1, terrorists attacked a training centre of the Frontier Corps in Loralai in which four attackers were killed and four FC men were martyred.

On Jan 29, three suicide bombers stormed the compound of DIG offices and detonated themselves, killing nine policemen and injuring 21 others.

On Feb 17, two FC personnel embraced martyrdom and a passer-by was injured in a gun attack in the main bazaar of Loralai.

The Polices Lines attack was the fourth in the series of attacks in Loralai so far this year.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2019