Asia

Home page

Asia

Taliban revenge attacks after Osama death claim over 130 lives in Pakistan

26 May 2011 23:54 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Pakistani Taliban launched a series of deadly revenge attacks, killing over 130 security men, after the death of Osama bin Laden on May 2 in an operation involving U.S. helicopters and Special Forces in the northwestern garrison city of Abbottabad, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Taliban and al-Qaida had announced to take revenge of the killing of the world most wanted al-Qaida chief and they have claimed responsibility for these attacks, including the audacious raid on the country’s major naval air station in Karachi.

The fresh attack occurred Thursday evening in the northwestern city of Hangu which killed nearly 25 people, mostly policemen, and injured over 50 others.

Deadliest attacks over the past three weeks raised fears of possible more revenge attacks in the coming days by the militants.

On May 13, twin bomb attacks on a paramilitary police academy in northwest Pakistan killed almost 90 people and at least 120 people were wounded in Charsadda district.

The Pakistani Taliban said immediately they carried out the attack to avenge the death of Osama Bin Laden.

On May 23, the Pakistani Taliban attacked a naval airbase in Karachi, sparking an hours-long battle in which 13 navy personnel were killed and at least two naval aircraft were destroyed. Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which raised concerns about the Taliban ability to strike highly guarded and security zones.

Defense sources said that Taliban attackers fought like well- trained soldiers with the Pakistani troops for hours. Pakistani forces declared the siege after a 17-hour operation.

The Sunday’s assault on the Karachi naval base was very similar to the Oct. 10, 2009 attack on the Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, in which militants penetrated the heavily guarded installation and held several senior and junior officers hostage.

On Wednesday, Pakistani militants rammed a car packed with explosives into a police station in Peshawar, killing eight policemen and wounding over 30 more others, in the latest attack since Osama bin Laden. The roadside police station was completely destroyed in the deadly attack.

The Pakistani Taliban were quick to claim responsibility for the attack, saying it was aimed at taking revenge of Osama bin Laden’s death. Ehsanullah Ehsan, a spokesman for the Taliban, said the militants will further step up these attacks to avenge Osama’s death.

The Pakistani Taliban also claimed responsibility for the attack on the U.S. convoy, the first attack on foreigners since a U.S. commando team killed bin Laden early this month.

On May 16 a Saudi diplomat was shot dead in Karachi by armed motorcyclists and there had been some reports that Taliban had carried out the attack. The assassination of Saudi diplomat was also linked to tension between Sunni and Shia populations in Karachi.

On May 20 a car bomb targeted U.S. consulate vehicles in Peshawar, killing one person and wounding 11 others. It was the first attack on Americans in Pakistan since Osama bin Laden was killed.