Pakistan: 5 policemen killed, 2 cricket players wounded in attack

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A dozen masked gunmen armed with rifles and rocket launchers attacked a vehicle carrying members of Sri Lanka's national cricket team Tuesday, wounding at least two players and killing five police officers, officials said. The attack in Lahore came at a time of unrest in both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, both of whom are trying to defeat insurgencies. It was unclear who was behind the assault, but it appeared to have been carefully coordinated. City police chief Haji Habibur Rehman said five policemen died in the shooting and that two players were wounded. A Pakistan Cricket Board security official had earlier said eight players were wounded. "It was a terrorist attack and the terrorists used rocket launchers, hand grenades and other weapons," Rehman said, adding that the police were hunting down the attackers who managed to flee. "Our police sacrificed their lives to protect the Sri Lankan team."