A double bombing occurred on 13 May 2011 in Shabqadar Fort in Charsadda District of

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...

province of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. 98 people were killed when two suicide bombs exploded in the Frontier Constabulary training centre. At least 140 others were injured. The explosions occurred while cadets were getting into buses for a ten-day leave after a training course.

Background

It was the deadliest attack in Pakistan since the

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

founder

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, his group is designated ...

; the death of bin Laden had led Ahmed Akhtar to speculate that Pakistan would receive retaliatory acts of violence for its supposed participation in the al-Qaeda leader's death. The Frontier constabulary is a paramilitary force of about 70,000 men who provide security to foreign embassies in major cities and man checkpoints in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It was established in the 1800s and is run by the Pakistani police. For men of many poor families joining the constabulary is a coveted ambition.

Bombing

The bomber was outside the training academy when he exploded his car at about 6 am local time. Most of those killed were men waiting to go home after completing 6 months of training. Mohammad Sardar, who was wounded in the head and admitted to the

Lady Reading Hospital Lady Reading Hospital is located at Peshawar in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan. It is also called ''Loye Huspatal'' (big hospital) and ''Gernali Huspatal''. It is named after Lady Reading, the wife of the Viceroy of India, Lord Reading. It ...

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

, said: "There are two occasions in one’s life to celebrate: wedding and going home on vacations at the end of six months of training. So we were all happy, celebrating the occasion, with bedrolls on our heads, thinking of home, when the first explosion occurred, followed by a second."

Responsibility

The

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani bo ...

officially claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying the attack was in revenge for bin Laden's death. "This was the first revenge for Osama’s martyrdom. Wait for bigger attacks in Pakistan and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

." However, some local officials doubted the attack was carried out in revenge for bin Laden, saying the attack may have possibly been conducted by a splinter group of the Taliban as a reaction to the

Pakistani Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

's latest assault against Taliban militants in the Mohmand region along Afghanistan.

Reactions

In financial markets, the yen rose following the attack on concern of increased instability and as the yen is generally considered a stable refuge. Within Pakistan, the attack was condemned by the President, Prime Minister and other political figures. MQM chief Altaf Hussain expressed sorrow and regret over the loss of lives. The

Chief Minister of Sindh Chief Minister of Sindh (, ur, —), is the elected head of government of Sindh. Syed Murad Ali Shah is a PPP politician and the current Chief Minister of Sindh. The Chief Minister is the head of the provincial government alongside the Chief ...

Syed Qaim Ali Shah also expressed his sympathy. In a telephone conversation with Prime Minister

Yousaf Raza Gillani Yusuf Raza Gilani ( Urdu: ; born 9 June 1952), is a Pakistani politician who served as 18th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 25 March 2008, until his retroactive disqualification and ouster by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 26 April 2012. ...

, British Prime Minister

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

expressed his condolences over the attack, assured his support to Pakistan and said that the United Kingdom knew well Islamabad was facing political turmoil, which was heavily taking a toll on its men and material. Gillani stated: "Pakistan is committed to working with the rest of the world to eradicate terrorism. It will also take care of its national interests." The United States embassy in Pakistan condemned the attack. "We extend our condolences to the

Pakistan Armed Forces The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are ...

, and families and friends of the victims. Terrorists have shown time and again that they are the true enemy of the people and government of Pakistan," a statement from the embassy said.

References

External links