ICC Note:
Following the Easter bombing in Lahore that targeted the country’s Christian population, Pakistan’s military has launched a new offensive in Punjab against extremists and terrorists. Many hope this offensive will help Pakistan begin to role back the threat of terrorist attacks on both Pakistan’s government and religious minorities. On Easter, a suicide bomber from a Pakistani Taliban splinter group attacked a family park in Lahore, killing over 70 people. The terrorist group went on to admit that Christians were the target of the attack. In 2015, two churches in a majority Christian neighborhood in Lahore were attacked by suicide bombers from the same organization. Will this new offensive help protect Christians in Pakistan?
4/7/2016 Pakistan (Times of India) – The Pakistani military in coordination with law enforcement agencies launched a new offensive in southern Punjab, officials announced Wednesday, weeks after a suicide bomber killed more than 70 people in Lahore.
“Coordinated operations are underway against terrorists and hardened criminals,” read a military statement.
The statement also included images of military helicopters hovering over the plains of Punjab and paramilitary troops loading ammunition into trucks and preparing for an operation.
The offensive comes after a Taliban suicide bomber killed 73 people in a popular Lahore park on Easter day. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, the Taliban faction that carried out the bombing, said Christians were the target of the attack.
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