QUETTA: Security forces foiled an attempt of a suicide attack on a Frontier Corps facility, killing five suicide bombers here on Thursday night.

According to security officials, the armed suicide bombers in an explosives-laden vehicle tried to enter the FC Madadgar Centre at around 9pm, but security personnel deployed at the main gate opened fire on the assailants and stopped them from entering the centre.

“All the five terrorists were killed by the security forces,” a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, adding: “All the suicide bombers were apparently Afghan nationals.”

The failed terrorist attempt was a response to the killing of their ‘key commanders’ during an operation in the Killi Almas area on Wednesday night.

The ISPR said four soldiers were injured in the exchange of fire with the attackers. They were taken to the Combined Military Hospital in Quetta.

According to sources, one of the suicide bombers succeeded in entering the centre and when security personnel opened fire on him he blew himself up. After that four other suicide bombers also tried to enter the premises and started firing. They used hand-grenades as three blasts were heard in the area close to the FC facility.

A senior security official told Dawn that the FC personnel retaliated and killed the four suicide bombers near the gate of the Madadgar Centre. “They could not move inside the centre and were killed by the security forces,” he said.

Soon after the attack, anti-terrorist force personnel and army soldiers reached the site, cordoned off the entire area and launched a search operation.

“The situation is now under control and the forces cleared the area,” the security officials said.

Windowpanes of nearby houses were smashed by the impact of the blast. Heavy firing continued for more than half an hour.

Security was beefed up after the suicide attempt and more troops were deployed in different areas of Quetta. A security alert was also issued.

Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti said the suicide attempt at the FC facility might be a retaliation of the Killi Almas operation in which an important militant commander and two suicide bombers were killed. Colonel Sohail Abid of the Military Intelligence and anti-terrorist force soldier Syed Sanaullah Agha were martyred in the operation.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2018