2008 Wah bombing
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Wah bombing was a double suicide attack
on the Pakistan Ordnance Factories
(POF) in Wah
, Pakistan
, on 21 August 2008. The attack, which killed at least 70 and wounded over 100, is the deadliest on a military site in Pakistan's history. Both bombers detonated themselves at the factory's gates while workers were changing shifts.
(POF) in Wah
, Pakistan
, is the center of the country's defence industry. Nearly 25,000 workers are employed there to produce explosives, weapons and other conventional arms and ammunition.
Since July 2007, the northwest region of Pakistan, has been the site of a wave of militant violence, in which hundreds of militants and Pakistani security force members have been killed. Violence in the region had subsided after the new coalition government, which came to power after the February 2008 general election
, had begun talks with tribal leader Baitullah Mehsud
. However, violence resumed when Mehsud suspended talks in June. Following an impeachment movement
launched by major opposition parties, the President of Pakistan
Pervez Musharraf
resigned on 18 August 2008, ending his nine years as head of the country.
, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, said his group the Tehrik-e-Taliban had carried out the attacks, which he said were in response to military operations
against militants in the Bajaur
region which began on 6 August 2008 and has cost the lives of perhaps hundreds of civilians and forced some 300,000 people to flee from their homes. He warned that if the Pakistani government continues operations there, "we will continue such attacks". He further stated that the "Wah factory is a killer factory where arms are being produced to kill our women and children."
A third bomber, Hamidullah did not carry out his attack and was subsequently arrested.
, Speaker of the National Assembly
, and Faisal Karim Kundi, Deputy Speaker, said it was a barbaric act of terrorism, which reflected inhumane and callous nature of the perpetrators. They said that a few misguided people were trying to disrupt peace in the country and derail the peaceful democratic process but they will not succeed in their nefarious designs. They said the criminals behind attacks were playing with the lives of innocent people without realizing that they cannot save themselves from the wrath of Allah
.Fahmida, Kundi condemn Wah bomb blasts
The United Nations Security Council
met to officially condemn the terrorist attacks.
Suicide attack
A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
on the Pakistan Ordnance Factories
Pakistan Ordnance Factories
Pakistan Ordnance Factories was founded in 1951 with the primary objective of producing arms and ammunition for the armed forces of Pakistan...
(POF) in Wah
Wah
Wah is a city in the Rawalpindi District in Punjab, Pakistan. It contains a garden which is said to have been built by the Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century. Wah Cantonment is nearby....
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, on 21 August 2008. The attack, which killed at least 70 and wounded over 100, is the deadliest on a military site in Pakistan's history. Both bombers detonated themselves at the factory's gates while workers were changing shifts.
Background
The Pakistan Ordnance FactoriesPakistan Ordnance Factories
Pakistan Ordnance Factories was founded in 1951 with the primary objective of producing arms and ammunition for the armed forces of Pakistan...
(POF) in Wah
Wah
Wah is a city in the Rawalpindi District in Punjab, Pakistan. It contains a garden which is said to have been built by the Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century. Wah Cantonment is nearby....
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, is the center of the country's defence industry. Nearly 25,000 workers are employed there to produce explosives, weapons and other conventional arms and ammunition.
Since July 2007, the northwest region of Pakistan, has been the site of a wave of militant violence, in which hundreds of militants and Pakistani security force members have been killed. Violence in the region had subsided after the new coalition government, which came to power after the February 2008 general election
Pakistani general election, 2008
A general election was held in Pakistan on 18 February 2008, after being postponed from 8 January 2008. The original date was intended to elect members of the National Assembly of Pakistan, the lower house of the Majlis-e-Shoora...
, had begun talks with tribal leader Baitullah Mehsud
Baitullah Mehsud
Baitullah Mehsud was a leading militant in Waziristan, Pakistan, and the leader of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan . He formed the TTP from an alliance of about five militant groups in December 2007. He is thought by U.S...
. However, violence resumed when Mehsud suspended talks in June. Following an impeachment movement
Movement to impeach Pervez Musharraf
The movement to impeach Pervez Musharraf was an August 2008 attempt by the Pakistan Peoples Party , the Pakistan Muslim League , Awami National Party , and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam to force Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf out of office....
launched by major opposition parties, the President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
resigned on 18 August 2008, ending his nine years as head of the country.
Responsibility
Maulvi OmarMaulvi Omar
Maulvi Said Muhammad, better known as Maulvi Omar or Maulvi Umar, is a senior Taliban commander who was captured by the Pakistani security forces in August 2009. Omar, a spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan , was a close associate of Baitullah Mehsud...
, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, said his group the Tehrik-e-Taliban had carried out the attacks, which he said were in response to military operations
War in North-West Pakistan
The War in North-West Pakistan is an armed conflict between the Pakistan Armed Forces and armed religious groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan , Lashkar-e-Islam, TSNM, Arab and Central Asian militants including Al-Qaeda, regional armed movements and elements of organized crime.The armed...
against militants in the Bajaur
Bajaur
Bajaur or Bajur or Bajour is an Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Smallest of the agencies in FATA, it has a hilly terrain. According to the 1998 census, the population was 595,227 but other more recent estimates it has grown to 757,000...
region which began on 6 August 2008 and has cost the lives of perhaps hundreds of civilians and forced some 300,000 people to flee from their homes. He warned that if the Pakistani government continues operations there, "we will continue such attacks". He further stated that the "Wah factory is a killer factory where arms are being produced to kill our women and children."
A third bomber, Hamidullah did not carry out his attack and was subsequently arrested.
Government response
In a message, Dr Fahmida MirzaFahmida Mirza
Dr. Fahmida Mirza , sometimes also spelled as Fehmida Mirza , is a medical doctor, agriculturist and businesswoman from Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan who was elected as the first female Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan on March 19, 2008...
, Speaker of the National Assembly
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
, and Faisal Karim Kundi, Deputy Speaker, said it was a barbaric act of terrorism, which reflected inhumane and callous nature of the perpetrators. They said that a few misguided people were trying to disrupt peace in the country and derail the peaceful democratic process but they will not succeed in their nefarious designs. They said the criminals behind attacks were playing with the lives of innocent people without realizing that they cannot save themselves from the wrath of Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
.Fahmida, Kundi condemn Wah bomb blasts
The United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
met to officially condemn the terrorist attacks.