Sri Lankan cricketers attacked in Pakistan, six injured

Lahore, Mar 3 (PTI) Six Sri Lankan cricketers were
injured Tuesday and five of their bodyguards killed in the
first ever deadly terrorist ambush in the history of the
sport, forcing Colombo to immediately call off the tour.

Among the players injured in the attack at the busy
Liberty Chowk traffic roundabout, located less than a
kilometre from the Gaddafi Stadium at 9 am, were captain
Mahela Jayawardene, star wicket-keeper batsman Kumar
Sangakkara, mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera
and Tharanga Paranavitana.

While Samaraweera and Paranavitana received bullet
wounds, the others besides the head coach Trevor Bayliss
sustained minor injuries, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
officials were quoted by Dawn news channel as saying.

Lahore police chief Habibur Rehman said two Sri Lankan
cricketers were hit by bullets, one in the chest and another
in the leg but did not identify them.

Both players were rushed to the military hospital, he
said.

Seven persons, including five policemen who were
escorting the team, were killed and several others, including
policemen and cricket officials, were injured in the exchange
of fire that lasted for about half an hour.

Reports said reserve umpire Ahsan Raza was seriously
injured and had been operated on in a local hospital.

The driver of the bus carrying the cricketers told
reporters that the terrorists shot at his vehicle from all
sides. A rocket fired from behind missed bus and hit an
electric pylon, he said.

The driver said he had seen a tall and bearded terrorist
wearing a shalwar kameez emerge from a white car and open fire
at his bus. Another terrorist lobbed a grenade that passed
under the bus, he said.

"People started shouting in the bus and the players said
'Go, go'. I drove the bus at high speed to the stadium. I then
saw a Sri Lankan player was hit in the leg by a bullet. We
called an ambulance and put him in it," said the driver, who
did not give his name.

Police chief Rehman said the attackers were armed with
rocket launchers, grenades and Kalashnikovs and had come to
the spot in a rickshaw and several cars.

Security forces cordoned off the area immediately after
the attack and launched a search for the gunmen. Reports said
the gunmen had tried to snatch a car in a nearby market as
they fled from Liberty Chowk.

Two civilians were also killed in the attack which could
raise question mark over the future of Pakistan as an
international cricket venue.

Hours after the ambush, authorities defused two car bombs
before they could explode and recovered a stash of weapons.

The players, who were air lifted by helicopter from the
cricket ground to a safer place, are likely to fly home this
evening in a special flight, sources said.

The Pakistani team was still in its hotel at the time of
the incident. Officials immediately took steps to prevent it
leaving the hotel.

The Sri Lankan team had come to Pakistan after several
other teams, including India, refused to tour the country
because of security concerns.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the terrorist attack on the Sri
Lankan team.

Zardari asked authorities to immediately investigate the
incident to identify perpetrators and expose their motives.

Gilani said the objective of the attack was to bring a
"bad name to Pakistan". He directed provincial authorities to
immediately beef up security and to submit a report.

Condemning the "cowardly terrorist attack," Sri Lankan
President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a message from Nepal said: "The
Sri Lankan players had gone to Pakistan as ambassadors of
goodwill". He instructed immediate action to bring back all
members of the team and ensure their safety and security. PTI