Twin suicide attacks rock Quetta: 27 killed: wife of DIG FC, official among dead

At least 27 people including an official of the Frontier Corps and wife of DIG Frontier Corp have been killed and over 60 others wounded in twin suicide attacks outside the residence of the DIG Frontier Corps near Commissioner Office early Wednesday.
"First blast occurred at 8:58 am and the second after a gap of five minutes in the Civil Lines area of the city, killing at least 27 people and leaving more 60 others including the FC men," said the DIG Operations Hamid Shakeel adding the blasts were so huge that the vehicles parked in the range of blast caught fire. The windowpanes of dozen of nearby buildings were also smashed by the blast.
As a result of the blasts and firing, the wife of DIG Frontier Corps and Colonel Khalid of Frontier Corps also died while Deputy Chief of FC Brigadier Farrukh Shehzad sustained injuries. One of the suicide bombers rammed a car carrying explosives into an FC vehicle parked outside the DIG FC house while the other entered the house and started firing. He later blew himself up, police official said.
Three security men who had been waiting in an official vehicle to escort the deputy inspector-general to work were burnt alive as a result of massive suicide attack targeting the FC forces responsible for the recent capture of senior al Qaeda operatives, the police official said.
Soon after the blast, Police and FC official including Inspector General of Frontier Corps Major General Obaidullah Khan Khattak and DIG Operations Balochistan Police Hamid Shakeel along with the rescue teams reached the site and shifted the victims of the twin blast to the civil hospital Quetta and Combined Military Hospital while bomb disposal squad and fire extinguishing teams also reached the spot.
The head and legs of the alleged suicide bomber were evacuated to the morgue of the civil hospital and later sent to the laboratory for the forensic report. According to the Civil Defence official, about 100kg explosive was used in the blasts, which caused huge crater in the middle of the road leading towards District and Session Courts.
The condition of some of the injured being treated in various hospital of the provincial capital is stated to be critical. According to identity card of the alleged suicide bomber, his name mentioned as Ahmed Gul, resident of Kandoze province of Afghanistan, police conformed. Meanwhile, Governor Balochistan Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi and Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam visited the blasts site and inquired about the details of incident from the officials deployed there.
They were accompanied by the higher officials of law enforcement agencies. They in strong terms condemned the incident and assured for bringing the responsible to justices On the occasion, the Chief Minister Balochistan ordered inquiry into the incident.
The Governor Balochistan and Chief Minister Balochistan also visited Civil Hospital and CMH and inquired after the health of injured. Governor Balochistan Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi while talking to the media men described it as the responsibility of the provincial government to ensure security to life and property of citizens and said lapses in security arrangements led to the latest suicide attacks which left dozens of innocent people killed and injured.
Civil Lines falls in a red zone area of the provincial capital due to the presence of Governor House, Chief Minister Secretariat and DIG FC house while many other official buildings and offices are also located in the same area.Emergency has been declared in all hospitals of the provincial capital.
The law enforcers have thrown cordoned around the entire area and started search to track the suspects down. Chief Minister Balochistan and Governor Balochistan also convened high level law and order meeting to review security arrangement in the province and ensure stern action against the anti-peace elements. Further investigation was under way.