Terrorist bombing in 2011 in Pakistan
The 2011 Faisalabad bombing occurred on 8 March 2011. 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. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Background.
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. Many textile companies are based in Faisalabad. Pro-Taliban militant groups had been gaining strength in the area, which had previously witnessed sectarian violence.
Attack.
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. According to local officials a Toyota Corolla packed with 40 kilograms of explosives was used in the attack.
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. The bomb caused several gas cylinders to explode and damaged several vehicles and buildings.
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. Among the dead were an ISI officer and a schoolteacher.
Responsibility.
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.
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