Pakistani bus driver hailed a hero after attack
LAHORE, March 3 (Reuters) -
Sri Lanka's cricketers have Mehar Mohammad Khalil's quick wits to thank for their lives after the bus driver steered them to safety when they came under gunfire on Tuesday.
The diminutive Khalil drove the team to the safety of the Gaddafi stadium after it was attacked by around a dozen unidentified gunmen as they approached the stadium for the second test match.
"I was turning the bus towards the stadium near the main roundabout when I saw a rocket fired at us... it missed us and hit an electric pole after which all hell broke loose," Khalil told Reuters as he stood by the shattered bus.
The bullet-holed bus strongly suggested the target of the gunmen had been the Sri Lankan players.
"When the firing started one of the players shouted 'go, go' and somehow I kept my cool, ducked and pressed the accelerator and sped the bus towards the stadium," Khalil said.
The bus was attacked around 500 metres from the stadium with bullet shots sprayed on all four sides of the bus. "They were skilled and they knew what they wanted. God helped us because they also threw a grenade under the bus which exploded after the bus had passed over it," he said.
Khalil, a professional driver for the past 22 years, has worked as a bus driver for many other foreign visiting teams and said there normally would be a police presence in front of the vehicle and elite commandos behind to provide security.
"I salute the elite commandos who kept the attackers engaged while I was able to speed the bus away," he said.
Five police died in the attack.
Khalil said that working as a driver he usually developed a good rapport with the players.
"The players saved themselves by lying down on the floor of the bus as the firing was heavy from both sides," Khalil said. "I feel very sad today."
[Source... reuters]
LAHORE, March 3 (Reuters) -
Sri Lanka's cricketers have Mehar Mohammad Khalil's quick wits to thank for their lives after the bus driver steered them to safety when they came under gunfire on Tuesday.
The diminutive Khalil drove the team to the safety of the Gaddafi stadium after it was attacked by around a dozen unidentified gunmen as they approached the stadium for the second test match.
"I was turning the bus towards the stadium near the main roundabout when I saw a rocket fired at us... it missed us and hit an electric pole after which all hell broke loose," Khalil told Reuters as he stood by the shattered bus.
The bullet-holed bus strongly suggested the target of the gunmen had been the Sri Lankan players.
"When the firing started one of the players shouted 'go, go' and somehow I kept my cool, ducked and pressed the accelerator and sped the bus towards the stadium," Khalil said.
The bus was attacked around 500 metres from the stadium with bullet shots sprayed on all four sides of the bus. "They were skilled and they knew what they wanted. God helped us because they also threw a grenade under the bus which exploded after the bus had passed over it," he said.
Khalil, a professional driver for the past 22 years, has worked as a bus driver for many other foreign visiting teams and said there normally would be a police presence in front of the vehicle and elite commandos behind to provide security.
"I salute the elite commandos who kept the attackers engaged while I was able to speed the bus away," he said.
Five police died in the attack.
Khalil said that working as a driver he usually developed a good rapport with the players.
"The players saved themselves by lying down on the floor of the bus as the firing was heavy from both sides," Khalil said. "I feel very sad today."
[Source... reuters]
