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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Taliban blamed for Lahore attack | Taliban blamed for Lahore attack |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Pakistan's government has blamed Taliban fighters for a bomb attack in Lahore which killed 23 people and left hundreds more injured. | Pakistan's government has blamed Taliban fighters for a bomb attack in Lahore which killed 23 people and left hundreds more injured. |
| A group of men shot at police officers before detonating a powerful car bomb, damaging buildings belonging to the police and intelligence agency the ISI. | A group of men shot at police officers before detonating a powerful car bomb, damaging buildings belonging to the police and intelligence agency the ISI. |
| Rescuers are searching the rubble and warn that the death toll could rise. | Rescuers are searching the rubble and warn that the death toll could rise. |
| Officials said the Taliban carried out the attack in revenge for a military offensive against them in Swat valley. | Officials said the Taliban carried out the attack in revenge for a military offensive against them in Swat valley. |
| Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters: "Enemies of Pakistan who want to destabilise the country are coming here after their defeat in Swat. | Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters: "Enemies of Pakistan who want to destabilise the country are coming here after their defeat in Swat. |
| "There is a war, and this is a war for our survival." | "There is a war, and this is a war for our survival." |
| A group calling itself Tehrik-i-Taliban Punjab claimed responsibility for the bombing in a Turkish-language statement posted on jihadist websites, the SITE monitoring group said. | |
| The claim could not be verified and the group's relationship to the Taliban, if any, was unclear. | |
| 'Attack on the state' | 'Attack on the state' |
| At least one ISI agent, 12 police officers and one child were reported killed in the attack, at about 1030 local time (0530 GMT). | At least one ISI agent, 12 police officers and one child were reported killed in the attack, at about 1030 local time (0530 GMT). |
| Local officials have speculated that the military intelligence agency could have been the target. | Local officials have speculated that the military intelligence agency could have been the target. |
| I ran out of the building and saw a surreal huge ring of white smoke rise into air Matthias Gattermeier Eyewitness in Lahore 'Everything shattered' | I ran out of the building and saw a surreal huge ring of white smoke rise into air Matthias Gattermeier Eyewitness in Lahore 'Everything shattered' |
| The ISI's offices were damaged by the bombing, and a police emergency-response building was flattened. | The ISI's offices were damaged by the bombing, and a police emergency-response building was flattened. |
| The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones, in Lahore, says it is not clear which organisation the perpetrators were attacking - but it is clear that they were attacking the Pakistani state. | The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones, in Lahore, says it is not clear which organisation the perpetrators were attacking - but it is clear that they were attacking the Pakistani state. |
| A least two arrests were made, but police officials later told the BBC that those detained appear to have been innocent bystanders. | A least two arrests were made, but police officials later told the BBC that those detained appear to have been innocent bystanders. |
| Meanwhile, the military says it expects the main town in the Swat valley, Mingora, to be cleared of Taliban insurgents within two or three days. | Meanwhile, the military says it expects the main town in the Swat valley, Mingora, to be cleared of Taliban insurgents within two or three days. |
| The military said two other areas away from Swat which have also seen heavy fighting - Mohmand and Sultanwas - were now safe enough for residents to return home. | The military said two other areas away from Swat which have also seen heavy fighting - Mohmand and Sultanwas - were now safe enough for residents to return home. |
| Sustained violence | Sustained violence |
| Lahore, in Punjab province near the Indian border, is known as Pakistan's cultural capital and is far from the Swat valley. | Lahore, in Punjab province near the Indian border, is known as Pakistan's cultural capital and is far from the Swat valley. |
| ATTACKS ON LAHORE THIS YEAR 3 March Gunmen kill six police guards in an ambush on the Sri Lanka cricket team30 March Gunmen attack a police academy, killing eight people27 May A car bomb attack on police buildings kills at least 23 Hunt for Lahore cricket attackers Siege at Pakistan police academy | ATTACKS ON LAHORE THIS YEAR 3 March Gunmen kill six police guards in an ambush on the Sri Lanka cricket team30 March Gunmen attack a police academy, killing eight people27 May A car bomb attack on police buildings kills at least 23 Hunt for Lahore cricket attackers Siege at Pakistan police academy |
| But in March militants laid siege to a police compound in the city, killing eight people, and weeks earlier the Sri Lanka cricket team was attacked there. | But in March militants laid siege to a police compound in the city, killing eight people, and weeks earlier the Sri Lanka cricket team was attacked there. |
| The BBC's Shoaib Hasan, in Pakistan, says Lahore is facing a sustained campaign of violence unlike any it has seen before. | The BBC's Shoaib Hasan, in Pakistan, says Lahore is facing a sustained campaign of violence unlike any it has seen before. |
| He says security officials believe the city is under attack because it is seen as a stable home for Pakistan's Punjab-dominated army. | He says security officials believe the city is under attack because it is seen as a stable home for Pakistan's Punjab-dominated army. |
| The army is claiming sweeping victories against Taliban insurgents in the Swat valley, near the Afghan border - saying more than 1,000 militants have been killed in the past month. | The army is claiming sweeping victories against Taliban insurgents in the Swat valley, near the Afghan border - saying more than 1,000 militants have been killed in the past month. |
| Militants had threatened revenge attacks in Pakistan's cities after the military stepped up its operations in the Swat valley. | Militants had threatened revenge attacks in Pakistan's cities after the military stepped up its operations in the Swat valley. |
| Global condemnation | Global condemnation |
| After the latest attack, television footage showed rescue workers sifting through the debris, pulling half-conscious police officers from the rubble. | After the latest attack, television footage showed rescue workers sifting through the debris, pulling half-conscious police officers from the rubble. |
| Bulldozers and other heavy lifting equipment have been brought in as many people are feared trapped under the debris. | Bulldozers and other heavy lifting equipment have been brought in as many people are feared trapped under the debris. |
| Officials told reporters a car pulled up near the police headquarters and a group of gunmen got out and opened fire. | Officials told reporters a car pulled up near the police headquarters and a group of gunmen got out and opened fire. |
| When police returned fire, the gunmen's car exploded. | When police returned fire, the gunmen's car exploded. |
| BBC News website readers in the city described hearing a huge explosion. | BBC News website readers in the city described hearing a huge explosion. |
| Zubair Bukhari, who was in his office about 500m away from the blast, said it rocked the entire building. | Zubair Bukhari, who was in his office about 500m away from the blast, said it rocked the entire building. |
| "Glass windows shattered to pieces and the ceiling came down on the floor," he said. | "Glass windows shattered to pieces and the ceiling came down on the floor," he said. |
| Another reader, Matthias Gattermeier, said: "I ran out of the building and saw a surreal huge ring of white smoke rise into air." | Another reader, Matthias Gattermeier, said: "I ran out of the building and saw a surreal huge ring of white smoke rise into air." |
| Politicians from around the world have condemned the attack and offered condolences to Pakistan. | Politicians from around the world have condemned the attack and offered condolences to Pakistan. |
| US ambassador Anne Patterson said the attacks "show the lengths extremist elements are willing to go to as they attempt to force their agenda on to a people who only wish to go about their daily lives in peace". | US ambassador Anne Patterson said the attacks "show the lengths extremist elements are willing to go to as they attempt to force their agenda on to a people who only wish to go about their daily lives in peace". |
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