Daily Times

QUETTA: Gunmen shot four policemen dead and injured three others in Satellite Town on Thursday.

According to police sources, a police van was patrolling the area when armed assailants riding a motorbike opened fire at the policemen and fled. As a result, four policemen died at the scene and three others were injured. The injured were rushed to the Combined Military Hospital.

Law enforcement agencies reached the scene and launched a search operation to hunt down the assailants.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack in an email sent to journalists.

In another incident, two coaches of the Jaffar Express were partially damaged in an explosion near railway tracks in the Mithri area of Balochistan’s Sibi District.

The Jaffar Express was going from Quetta to Lahore when the blast occurred, destroying part of the railway track. The train service between Balochistan and other parts of the country was suspended as result of the blast.

Rescue and security personnel reached the blast scene. No loss of life was reported. Railway’s technical staff was called to ensure immediate repair of the track.

Sibi is a major railway junction about 400 miles (600 kilometres) southwest of Islamabad, in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan.

In another incident of terrorism in the Jhelum District in Punjab, police foiled a terror bid at Domeli Morr. A terrorist blew himself up during an encounter with the police.

The terrorist was allegedly going to target the Pakistan Express, which was going from Rawalpindi to Lahore. He was trying to plant a bomb on the railway track when somebody saw him and called the police. Motorways Police Deputy Superintendent Rauf Chishti reached the scene along with other police personnel. The terrorist threw a hand-grenade at the police personnel and then blew himself up, security sources said.

District Information Officer Awais said earlier the suspect exchanged fire with the police before blowing himself up. Police found four hand-grenades, two pistols and two national identity cards on his body. The police also found a vehicle near the crime scene.