Sign up for a free trial of News Direct's animated news graphics at [ Ссылка ]

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for a bomb attack that killed Police Superintendent Chaudhry Aslam, a man known as 'Pakistan's toughest cop' for his tough stance on Islamist militants.

At around 4:40 p.m. on Thursday police Superintendent Chaudhry Aslam was travelling in a bulletproof SUV on the Lyari Expressway in Karachi with a driver and a bodyguard. The SUV was also escorted by two police vehicles. Reuters reports that a car packed with explosives rammed Aslam's SUV, causing a huge explosion that killed all in the SUV, as well as injuring the escorting officers.

According to Pakistan's Express Tribune newspaper, police in Karachi say the explosion may have been caused by a roadside bomb that was detonated remotely, likely from a distance of about 100 meters.

The incredibly powerful explosion blew holes in the freeway barrier and Aslam's SUV was thrown some 10 meters from the blast site. The police vehicles escorting Aslam's SUV were blown off the freeway and the officers inside were reportedly injured.

This latest--and successful--attempt on Aslam's life was the fourth time since 2006 that the Taliban had attacked Pakistan's "top cop." In 2011, a car carrying a huge payload of explosives rammed into his home. Eight people were killed in that attack, but Aslam and his family were unharmed. The Pakistani Taliban hailed Thursday's killing, saying it was done in revenge for his attacks on militants.

Muhammad Aslam Khan, commonly known as Chaudhry Aslam, was famous in Pakistan for leading campaigns against crime and the Pakistani Taliban, which has become more influential in Karachi in recent years.

свернуть