By IANS,
Islamabad : Target the suicide bombers before they are able to detonate the explosives strapped to their body, say Pakistani police after carrying out a research on suicide attackers’ behavioural patterns.
Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terror attacks as its army stepped up the offensive against the Taliban fighters in the country’s northwest.
“Be sharply attentive and alert and hit the suicide attacker before he hits his target,” states the counter strategy issued for the personnel of law enforcing agencies.
Inspector General of Police Syed Kaleem Imam told The News that counter strategy was required to tackle terrorism in these situations and he said the strategy would be successfully executed with the help of the people.
The police in Islamabad Saturday released a research-based outlook on behavioural patterns of suicide attackers – just before commission of the terrorist act.
The research by police experts included in depth examination of those involved in several suicide attacks in Islamabad.
The research reveals “a moving human bomb may be a young man between 18 and 25 years, with a plump look because of wearing an explosive jacket”.
“He (The suicide bomber) might be wearing new clothes, not washed even for a single time and new shoes and might have trimmed his hair and beard. Due to continuous sleeplessness, his eye might be red.
“He often does not pay attention to anyone while going for a kill and moves straight to his target. He may be fasting and keep on reciting. The handler of suicider points out the target only 10 to 15 minutes before attack, thus giving a short time to accomplish the task.”
Over 170 people have been killed in the latest wave of militant violence, which started with a suicide bombing at the offices of the UN World Food Programme in Islamabad Oct 5. Five employees of the agency were killed.
The most audacious attack came on Oct 10 when 10 terrorists in military uniform laid siege to the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. At least 19 people, including nine raiders, died in the 22-hour standoff. One militant was arrested.
On Oct 15, gunmen wearing suicide vests stormed two police academies and the offices of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency in the eastern city of Lahore. A car bomber struck at a police station in the northwestern town of Kohat. At least 38 people including 11 insurgents were killed in a single day.
A twin suicide bombing Oct 20 at the International Islamic University here killed seven people.
On Oct 22, Brigadier Moinuddin Ahmed, who was the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan, was gunned down along with another soldier in Islamabad.
A day later, 25 people were killed and 27 injured in a series of blasts across Pakistan. Eighteen people died in a landmine explosion in Mohmand Agency while seven were killed when a suicide bomber struck at an air force base in Attock district. Eight people were injured in a bombing outside a restaurant in Peshawar.