The October 2009 Lahore attacks were simultaneous assaults on three buildings across
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
,
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, on 15 October 2009, around 9:15 am local time. The attacks killed 38 and wounded at least 20.
One group of militants attacked the Regional Headquarters of the
Federal Investigation Agency
The Federal Investigation Agency ( ur, ; reporting name: FIA) is a border control, criminal investigation, counter-intelligence and security agency under the control of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, tasked with investigative jurisdictio ...
(FIA), while a second group raided the
Manawan Police Training School
At 07:31 on 30 March 2009, the Manawan Police Academy in Lahore, Pakistan, was attacked by an estimated 12 gunmen. The perpetrators were armed with automatic weapons and grenades or rockets and some were dressed as policemen. They took over the ...
. The third team of militants attacked the
Elite Police Academy
Elite Police Training School, Bedian Road, Lahore, Pakistan is a police training school for the Punjab Elite Police located on Bedian Road in Lahore.
On 15 October 2009, the training institute was attacked by four terrorists using guns and grenad ...
.
"Militants launch multiple attacks in Lahore, 14 dead"
''Dawn News
Dawn News is one of Pakistan's 24-hour Urdu news channel. Based in Karachi, the station is a subsidiary of Pakistan Herald Publications Limited (PHPL), Pakistan's largest English-language media group.
The test transmission of the station occu ...
'', 15 October 2009
Background
The same Federal Investigation Agency regional headquarters was hit by a suicide car bomb in March 2008. Earlier in the day, a suicide car bomber blew himself up at a police station in Kohat. These and other events have led to Pakistan's preparation for a major operation in Waziristan.
Federal Investigation Agency: Regional Headquarters
According to Punjab Home Secretary Nadeem Hassan Asif, the Federal Investigation Agency
The Federal Investigation Agency ( ur, ; reporting name: FIA) is a border control, criminal investigation, counter-intelligence and security agency under the control of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, tasked with investigative jurisdictio ...
's regional headquarters in Lahore was attacked by four individuals. Initial shots killed two attackers, including a suicide bomber. Hostages were taken, including FIA officials; the government responded with a siege lasting 90 minutes. In the end, four government employees, including three FIA agents, and a bystander were killed.
Elite Force Training Academy
The Elite Police Academy
Elite Police Training School, Bedian Road, Lahore, Pakistan is a police training school for the Punjab Elite Police located on Bedian Road in Lahore.
On 15 October 2009, the training institute was attacked by four terrorists using guns and grenad ...
, situated at Bedian Road 5 kilometers from the Manawan Police Training School
At 07:31 on 30 March 2009, the Manawan Police Academy in Lahore, Pakistan, was attacked by an estimated 12 gunmen. The perpetrators were armed with automatic weapons and grenades or rockets and some were dressed as policemen. They took over the ...
(which was also targeted) was attacked by six men in militia uniforms. Six policemen and five militants were killed. Only one militant was killed by the police; the three others were suicide bombers. The battle lasted until afternoon; in the aftermath, a family which was being held hostage was freed.
Manawan Police Training School
Four attackers were dropped off at the training center in a Suzuki van around 9:10 am local time. Two attackers shot and killed the guard at the gate, and then entered the center by scaling the main gate. The two other attackers followed, throwing grenades on their way. One went to the kitchen, another to the patients' barracks, and a third to the barber's salon. One was spotted and gunned down on the lawn. Nine policemen were killed and fifty were injured in the attack, which lasted until about 11:50 am.
.
Responsibility
Many such attacks over the past year have been carried out by Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
or Punjabi militant groups, or, as in the army headquarters attack on 10 October 2009, a combination of both. According to GEO News
Geo News is a Rank Number 1 Pakistani news channel owned by the Jang Media Group.
History
The Geo Television Network started out with the launch of its flagship channel Geo TV in October 2002 but has since launched several other channels whic ...
, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan
The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Durand Line, Afghan–Pa ...
claimed responsibility for the attack.
Investigations
At least 9 people having links with group behind the attack have been apprehend. A large amount of ammunitions, and maps of sensitive installations were recovered.
Pakistan reactions
*President Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari ( ur, ; sd, ; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakistan ...
said that this violence will not deter the government from eliminating the extremism.
* Interior Minister Rehman Malik
Abdul Rehman Malik NI ( Punjabi, Urdu: رحمان ملک; born 12 December 1951 – 23 February 2022) was a Pakistani politician and a Federal Investigation Agency officer, having served as the Interior Minister from being appointed on 25 Marc ...
said, "The enemy has started a guerrilla war
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactic ...
. The whole nation should be united against these handful of terrorists, and God willing we will defeat them."
* Punjab Provincial Law Minister
A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, ...
Rana Sanaullah
Rana Sanaullah Khan ( Punjabi, ur, born 1 January 1955) is a Pakistani politician serving as the 39th Interior Minister of Pakistan. He has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018. He is a senior member of PML-N a ...
said that the police were trying to take some of the militants alive so information could be extracted from them.
See also
*2009 Lahore police academy attacks
At 07:31 on 30 March 2009, the Manawan Police Academy in Lahore, Pakistan, was attacked by an estimated 12 gunmen. The perpetrators were armed with automatic weapons and grenades or rockets and some were dressed as policemen. They took over the ...
*List of terrorist incidents in Pakistan since 2001
This is the list of terrorist incidents in Pakistan. The War on Terror had a major impact on Pakistan, with terrorism in sectarian violence, but after the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001, it also had to combat the threat of a ...
References
External links
Police interrogate suspects after Lahore attacks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lahore attacks
Mass murder in 2009
Spree shootings in Pakistan
School massacres in Pakistan
Crime in Punjab, Pakistan
Hostage taking in Pakistan
Terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2009
Terrorist incidents in Lahore
2000s in Lahore
October 2009 events in Pakistan