Gen. Salim Hayat Attempt

On 06/10/2004 a group of gunmen attacked the convoy of Gen. Ahsan Salim Hayat, the corps commander of Karachi and a trusted colleague of General Pervez Musharraf. The attack occurred as his motorcade was passing near Clifton Bridge, in an upscale Karachi neighborhood about half a mile from the American Consulate in Karachi.

In the exchange of fire 6 soldiers, 3 policemen and a by passer were killed. Salim Hayat and the others were by passers. The general himself escaped unharmed. A small bomb went off minutes after the gunfire. At least 4 gunmen escaped the scene of the failed attempt with a white van.

The white van was stolen few days earlier and was found abandoned and bloodstained few hours after the attack. The evidence led to a hideout apartment in Karachi where 9 militants were arrested, on 06/12/2004 night. One of the detainees was identified as Ata-ur Rehman, the commander of the hit team which attacked Gen. Salim Hayat convoy two days earlier and the local chief of Jundallah in Karachi. His assistance, Shahzad Bajwa, was also among the detainees. Later that night, after initial interrogation, the Pakistani police arrested Musaad Aruchi along with two other associates. One of the detainees was identified as Daud Badini, a Pakistani.

Mussad Arouchi confirmed that Ata-ur Rehman, code name Atta Ullah, led the attack as well as two other bombings of Shiite Mosques in Karachi in the previous days, which left scores of casualties.

The group trained in South Waziristan in 10-11/2003 in Shakai region with local pro-Taliban warlords Eda Khan. In clashes with Islamic militants in South Waziristan, Shakai region, in order to uproot the militants, 17 soldiers and security personnel and about 50 militants were killed too. A large quantity of weapon and ammunition was ceased. Eda Khan himself surrendered, was captured by the Pakistani military and arrested (see also - Qasim Toori ).   

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01/04/2009 07:51:12