Srilankan Players Attacked By Terrorist in Pakistan With Pictures

Sri Lanka cricketers were flown from the Gaddafi Stadium here to the airport on a Pakistan Air Force chopper, hours after being attacked by unidentified gunmen Tuesday morning. Pakistan Television (PTV) televised live the departure of the Sri Lanka cricketers from the stadium. They were seen off by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt.

The cricketers will fly to Abu Dhabi en-route to Colombo. Media reports said the decision to fly the players from the stadium in an air force helicopter was taken after the Pakistani and Sri Lankan governments discussed the issue.

At least six Sri Lankan cricketers were injured when heavily armed gunmen attacked the team cavalcade when it was on its way to the Gaddafi Stadium for the ongoing Test. Sri Lanka called off the tour after the attack, which Punjab Governor Salman Taseer said was the handiwork of the same terrorists who struck in Mumbai in November last year.

Five policemen were killed and six Sri Lankan cricket team members were injured Tuesday morning when gunmen opened fire at the bus carrying the cricketers here, the police said.

‘Six of our players were wounded during the shooting incident targeting the Test team travelling to the match venue at Lahore. We are very concerned about this incident,’ Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge said in Colombo.

The gunmen attacked the bus of the Sri Lankan cricket team as it was on its way to the Gaddafi stadium here for the Test against Pakistan. Four members of the Sri Lankan team were injured.

A police official said that 12 terrorists carried out the attack and the exchange of fire lasted for about 25 minutes. ‘The attackers had come by rickshaws,’ he said.He confirmed that five policemen escorting the cricket team bus were killed in the attack.

The attackers were armed with rocket launchers and hand grenades. He said that one Sri Lankan team member was hit on the chest while another was hit on the leg. Sri Lanka has cancelled the tour. Geo TV added that the gunmen opened fire on the cavalcade at the Liberty crossing on the way to the stadium for the third day’s play in the second Test from the hotel in which the team was staying. The police have cordoned off the area. The Pakistan team has been directed to stay in their hotel.

Pakistani policemen gather beside the wreckage of a police van after masked gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3, 2009. Masked gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, killing at least eight people and wounding six team members, police said. AFP PHOTO/Arif ALI

Bullet holes are seen on a window of a bus, which was carrying the Sri Lankan cricketers, parked outside the Gaffafi stadium after the shooting incident in Lahore, Pakistan on Tuesday, March, 3, 2009. A dozen masked gunmen armed with rifles and rocket launchers attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team as it traveled to a match in Pakistan on Tuesday, wounding several players and killing five police officers, officials said. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Pakistani policemen stand guard as a bus carrying security personnel enters The Gaddafi Stadium after masked gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore on March 3, 2009. Masked gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, killing at least eight people and wounding six team members, police said. AFP PHOTO/Aamir QURESHI

A helicopter, carrying the Sri Lankan officials and players, take off from Gaddafi stadium for airport after the shooting incident in Lahore, Pakistan on Tuesday, March, 3, 2009. A dozen masked gunmen armed with rifles and rocket launchers attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team as it traveled to a match in Pakistan on Tuesday, wounding several players and killing five police officers, officials said. (AP Photo/Rizwan Ali)

A Pakistani bomb disposable squad member diffuses an explosive at the shooting site in Lahore, Pakistan on Tuesday, March, 3, 2009. A dozen masked gunmen armed with rifles and rocket launchers attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team as it traveled to a match in Pakistan on Tuesday, wounding several players and killing five police officers, officials said. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

A Pakistani policemen inspects a police motorcycle after masked gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3, 2009. Masked gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, killing at least eight people and wounding six team members, police said. AFP PHOTO/Arif ALI

Pakistani police officers and media gather at the shooting site in Lahore, Pakistan on Tuesday, March, 3, 2009. A dozen masked gunmen armed with rifles and rocket launchers attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team as it traveled to a match in Pakistan on Tuesday, wounding several players and killing five police officers, officials said. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Sri Lankan officials and players are seen in the pavilion of Gaddafi stadium after the shooting incident in Lahore, Pakistan on Tuesday, March, 3, 2009. A dozen masked gunmen armed with rifles and rocket launchers attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team as it traveled to a match in Pakistan on Tuesday, wounding several players and killing five police officers, officials said. (AP Photo/Rizwan Ali)

Pakistani policemen stand guard beside a vehicle after masked gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3, 2009. Masked gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, killing at least eight people and wounding six team members, police said. AFP PHOTO/Aamir QURESHI

Pakistani policemen inspect a police vehicle after masked gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3, 2009. Masked gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, killing at least eight people and wounding six team members, police said. AFP PHOTO/Arif ALI

Source: AOL

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