22 killed as army camp attacked in NW Pakistan

Pakistani troops keep guard near the site of an attack in the Sari Norang area of Pakistan's northwest district of Lakki Marwat, on Feb. 2, 2013. At least 22 people were killed and a dozen others injured when a security camp was attacked in Lakki Marwat on Saturday morning, local media reported. Banned outfit of Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. (Xinhua)

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 22 people were killed and a dozen others injured when a security camp was attacked in Pakistan's northwest district of Lakki Marwat area on Saturday morning, local media reported.
Urdu TV channel Geo said that the killed people include eight security personnel and 12 militants.

Banned outfit of Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and a Taliban spokesperson revealed that they sent 30 trained militants including four suicide bombers to launch attack at the military camp.

Ahsan Ullah Ahsan, the Taliban spokesperson, said the attack was the revenge of deaths of two Taliban commanders in U.S. drone strikes.

Army sources confirmed that 10 of the assailants were shot dead in the counter attack by security forces and 20 others fled the scene.

They said that the militants' plan to incur huge loss to security forces was foiled by the soldiers on duty, who fought bravely against the attackers.

Some local TV channels quoted unidentified security officials as saying that the escaped militants are hiding in a residential area near the security camp.

The injured people were shifted to a nearby hospital where several of them were in critical condition. Hospital sources confirmed that there were at least eight soldiers among the injured people.

The attack was launched at about 4:00 a.m. local time when 30 militants equipped with sophisticated weapons stormed the army camp located in the Saraey Noor Rang area of Laki Marwat, a restive district located in the country's northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The attack was followed by a gun battle between security forces and militants which lasted for more than four hours.

Both President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf condemned the attack and directed the hospital administration to provide best medical treatment to the injured people.

from XINHUA (<- more photos)
2013-02-02 14:34:55
Editor: Lu Hui

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Posted in: ISLAMABAD, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, Taliban, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan