LAHORE: Country’s top intelligence agency has warned the Federal and provincial authorities that various Taliban and al-Qaeda splinter groups are making all out efforts to target political elite in the big cities by using female suicide bombers, it was reliably learnt on Tuesday.The intelligence agency, sources say, has sent a confidential report to the Federal government and provincial authorities indicating possible terror attacks by female suicide bombers in posh areas of the big cities.The trend of women suicide-bombers is rare in Pakistan but, according to an intelligence report, it has been confirmed that a 17-year-old female bomber blew herself up near a police cordon at Lahori Gate in Peshawar that claimed two innocent lives on August 11th.
An intelligence source disclosed to The Nation that some Taliban splinter groups were planning to exploit young women for suicide bombings.‘Intelligence-sharing between security forces and the authorities, both at provincial and Federal level, is underway in this regard’, sources added.This fresh terror-alert has been sounded all over the country in the wake of the deadly strikes carried out by militants, targeting the personnel of security force and even their families in Quetta and Karachi.Sources claimed that different al-Qaeda and Taliban off-shoots had carried out the deadly attacks by exploding explosive-laden vehicles in big cities.
‘Purely, such attacks are the handiwork of global Jehadi network as local groups are incapable of carrying out such type of sophisticated and large-scale strikes’, an official said.A number of al-Qaeda off-shoots – from TTP to Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI), and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi al-Alami to Punjabi Taliban – have launched an all-out war on Pakistan.‘Now the terrorists are killing women and children by carrying out suicide attacks even in residential areas and at public places. Such types of attacks are likely to escalate in future’, a senior intelligence official told this reporter on the condition of anonymity here on Tuesday.
On Monday, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the residence of SSP CID in Karachi, leaving eight people dead mostly policemen and injuring many others. A couple of weeks ago, at least 20 people were killed and more than 40 others injured when terrorists targeted the residence of the DIG Frontier Constabulary (FC) in Quetta.
It is important to mention here that terrorists targeted a bakery and hotel frequented by military officers and their families in the insurgency-infested province, Khyber PK, in the recent past, killing several innocent women and children.Sources say different Taliban and al-Qaeda off-shoots had stepped up terror attacks on Pakistanis particularly since the Pak Army captured Younis al Mauritani, a senior al Qaeda leader with two his associates during a raid in Quetta.Al-Mauritani and two other operatives, Abdul Ghaffar Al Shami (Bachar Chama) and Messara Al Shami (Mujahid Amino) were captured in a joint raid carried out by the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), and the Frontier Corps Balochistan early this month.
‘Women folk in Islam enjoy special respect and honour. Their sanctity and piety has to be observed under all circumstances. To exploit them for suicide bombing for political purposes is extremely dreadful and outrageous act’, a defence expert said.He further said that using women for such activities neither commensurate with the Islamic teachings nor with the Pashtun traditions.‘This is something only a group of cowardice can plan to do. These terrorists have now started to exploit women for fulfilling their nefarious designs’, he maintained.
During background interview over the new trend of suicide bombings, security experts said that it seemed that the terrorists have no regard for the piety of women in Islamic society or the Pashtun culture.Terrorism has become a highly destructive and universal phenomenon and Pakistan is no exception. Infact, Pakistan has been the victim of terrorism as terrorists target Pakistan, its civil-military institutions, government functionaries and public places.No doubt the people of Pakistan and its Armed Forces are braving the worst terrorists onslaught.Terrorists have global agenda and are targeting Pakistan for its decision to support US-led war on terrorism, they added. – Nation
