2011 Faisalabad bombing | |
---|---|
Part of Islamic Terrorism | |
Location | Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan |
Date | 8 March 2011 |
Attack type | Car bombing |
Weapons | Car bomb |
Deaths | 25+ |
Injured | 127+ |
Perpetrators | Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan |
The 2011 Faisalabad bombing occurred on 8 March 2011.[1] At least 25 people were killed and over 127 wounded when a car bombing occurred in a compressed natural gas station in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.[2] Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the explosion.[3]
Faisalabad is the third-largest city in Pakistan and an important industrial hub of Punjab province; the attack was the first of its kind in the area, which usually remained safe from terrorist incidents.[4] Many textile companies are based in Faisalabad.[5] Pro-Taliban militant groups had been gaining strength in the area, which had previously witnessed sectarian violence.[6]
The car bomb exploded at a compressed natural gas station at about 10:30 am, leaving a 7-foot deep by 15-foot wide crater.[1] According to local officials a Toyota Corolla packed with 40 kilograms of explosives was used in the attack.[7]
The vicinity in which the attack took place was a sensitive area, surrounded by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and military offices. A Pakistan International Airlines building and an ISI building were damaged in the bombing.[2] The bomb caused several gas cylinders to explode and damaged several vehicles and buildings.[6]
The gas station was reduced to a pile of bricks and twisted metal. Rescue officials used heavy machinery and cranes to remove rubble from the scene to search for survivors.[2] Among the dead were an ISI officer and a schoolteacher.[8]
A spokesman for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan stated that the bombing, which targeted an ISI building, was in retaliation for the killing of Omar Kundi, a Taliban commander, by special forces in Faisalabad in 2010.[3]