The coordinated blasts in Lahore struck just after 9.00 am local time on Thursday. At the same time, a suicide bomber was ramming his vehicle into a police station in Kohat in North-West Frontier Province, killing three police officers and eight civilians.

In Lahore’s city centre, at least four gunmen forced themselves into the Federal Investigation Agency headquarters.

By the end of a gun battle that lasted for about 40 minutes, 14 people had been killed, including nine police officers.

Police ran for their lives

Meanwhile, in the suburb of Manawan, at least four attackers stormed a local police training centre and killed nine police officers. Officials said that three of them blew themselves up and another was killed by the police.

Iftikhar, a policeman who was being treated for his injuries in a local hospital described the scene: "It was about a quarter to 10. It was our break time from the parade to have tea or water.”

“Then the trainer blew the whistle again after the break, and as soon as we were standing on the parade ground again, bullets came flying from the front past our ears. We ran for our lives. Some of us fell down wounded. We raced and scaled the wall and escaped to the outside but with a lot of difficulty."

Siege lasted several hours

Another attack took place on an elite police training school in Bedian on the outskirts of Lahore. The siege lasted several hours but in the end Lahore commanding officer Major General Shafqat Ahmed announced that the situation was “completely under control”.

“I've been there myself and seen the building. Right now, we are searching the area. The terrorists' dead bodies are lying there. We've seen about five dead bodies. Some of them blew themselves up and some were killed by our security forces."

This escalation of violence comes as the army is reportedly planning an anti-Taliban offensive in South Waziristan on the border with Afghanistan.

The law minister of Punjab Rana Sanaullah Khan was quick to lay the blame: "We have no doubts that they are those militants from the tribal areas - from Malakand and South Waziristan."

Observers say this is a clear sign that the militants have regrouped and recovered since the death in August of top Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud.

Author: Anne Thomas
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein