Brigadier fired upon in Pakistani capital

A brigadier of the Pakistan army and his driver were injured when gunmen ambushed their vehicle in the federal capital on Friday. This is the third such attack in a little more than two weeks.

The motorcycle-borne gunmen fired at Brigadier Suhail's jeep in the posh Sector I-8 of Islamabad, said the police.

The officer and his driver were injured, Senior Superintendent of Police Fakhar Alam said. Sources said the brigadier was serving with the Inter-Services Intelligence agency though there was no statement from the army about the incident. The gunmen fled immediately after the incident.

Police launched a search in the area though no arrests were made. They found a pistol at the site of the attack.

This was the third attack on a senior army officer in Islamabad since October 22, when Brigadier Moinuddin Ahmed and his driver were killed by militants on the outskirts of Islamabad. Ahmed was serving with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan.

On October 27, Brigadier Waqar Ahmad Malik, director of Defence Services Guards at the Pakistan army's headquarters in Rawalpindi, was ambushed by two gunmen when he was leaving his home along with his mother in his official car. The officer and others in the car escaped unhurt.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for these two attacks.

The militants are targeting army officers, apparently in retaliation for the ongoing offensive on their stronghold in the lawless South Waziristan.

The terrorist strikes have also raised questions about the capability of the police, who have set up over 100 check posts across Islamabad.