Five militants, including school attack mastermind's brother, killed in FR Peshawar

Official says brother of Orangzeb, the amir of TTP Darra Adam Khel and one of the masterminds of attack, also killed

PESHAWAR: Five militants, including the brother of one of the masterminds of the Army Public School attack in Peshawar, were killed Friday night in an encounter with security forces in the Koi Hassan Khel area of Frontier Region Peshawar.

An official of the political administration while speaking to The Express Tribune said security forces handed over to them the bodies of the militants killed in an exchange of fire in a cricket ground in Koi Hassan Khel.

“One of them has been identified as Mustafa alias Manan, a resident of Adezai and brother of Orangzeb alias Umar alias Naray, the current Amir of  TTP Darra Adam Khel, who is said to be one of the many masterminds of the APS attack,” the official said.

“Another has been identified as Hidayat alais Saleem, while three bodies are yet to be identified,” he added.

“It is really strange that the encounter took place in the same ground where they killed 23 Levies personnel after they were abducted by militants last year.”

Further, the official said these militants were on the run following the recent military operations and the group’s head was hiding somewhere in Afghanistan.

“These people used the cover of the night for their movement and security forces had information about it so they intercepted then,” the official said.

Separately, two security officials and two militants were killed when security forces hit militant hideouts the Mechani neighbourhood of Shabqadar near Peshawar on Saturday morning, officials said.

"A soldier of the Frontier Corps and a policeman [were killed] in an exchange of fire with militants in Mechani neighbourhood of Shabqadar Saturday morning," local police official Wilayat Khan told AFP.

He said two militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were also killed.

Rasheed Khan, another senior official confirmed the incident. He said the militants opened fire when the police and paramilitary troops raided their hideouts.

Six militants arrested in raids in Karachi

Six militants were arrested in Karachi today after Rangers Sindh conducted a series of targeted operations in several areas of Karachi.

The raids were conducted in Majeed Colony, SITE and Frontier Colony.

Various kinds of weapons were also recovered during the raids.

Similarly, two suspected Taliban members were killed during an encounter with the anti-terrorism cell of the CID in Mauripur in Karachi.

The militants killed belonged to the Khan Zaman Mehsud Group.