Enforcing the law: Police kill eight alleged militants

Preedy Police claim to have arrested four target killers affiliated with a political party

KARACHI:

The counter terrorism department (CTD) of the Sindh police have uncovered a 'bomb-making factory' and killed two suspected militants who were apparently attempting to carry out a major terror activity in the city on Resolution Day. Separately, a local commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is believed to be among the six militants killed in two separate encounters on Sunday.

The CTD officials came across the bomb-making factory when they conducted a raid at a two-bedroom house in Qaimkhani Colony, Orangi Town early on Sunday morning. During the raid, the CTD personnel faced resistance from the suspects inside the house. In the retaliatory fire by the law enforcers, both the suspects were killed. They were later identified as Kamran and Zubair, both in their mid-20s.

The officials found around 100kgs of dynamite, 100kgs of locally-manufactured explosives, a huge cache of different kinds of chemicals used in making of the bombs, 60 detonators, remote controls, weapons and ammunition at the factory.

"We also found a register containing the formulas to be used in the manufacture of different kinds of bombs. The terrorists apparently used the register for guidance," said the CTD in-charge Mazhar Mashwani while speaking to The Express Tribune. The officer said that they had also found several warning letters used to threaten people to get extortion money. "The militants were affiliated the Badar Mansoor group, the one behind the Peshawar school attack. However, the militants killed in the encounter were not directly involved in the attack."

In Karachi, the militants killed were working with the Azizullah Shamzai group, which has carried out a number of attacks on law enforcers in the city, particularly in District West.

Mashwani said the deceased militants had also planted a bomb containing over 150kgs of explosives on a rickshaw and parked it in Baldia Town in January this year. "Their aim was to target the Rangers personnel but luckily the bomb failed to detonate," the officer claimed. "The group was now trying to carry out a major terror activity on Resolution Day in Karachi."

Separately, a local TTP commander, identified as Qudratullah was killed along with two of his aides during an encounter with the police in Jamali Goth, Sohrab Goth on Sunday. SHO Fasihuz Zaman said that Qudratullah was the chief of the TTP for Sohrab Goth and belonged to the Mohmand chapter of Taliban. He added that the group was involved in several cases of terrorism while the police have seized 29 kgs of explosives and a huge cache of weapons from their possession.

Earlier on Saturday night, three alleged militants were killed during an encounter with the police in Manghopir. The suspects were later identified as Khalid Baloch, Zahid Shah and Noman. Police officials said that the encounter took place during a search operation in the area, adding that the militants were involved in over one dozen cases of target killings, particularly of law enforcers.

Target killers arrested

Preedy Police claim to have arrested four members of a political party, allegedly involved in the targeted killings of rival party workers as well as other cases of crimes. The suspects were identified as Shahzad, Shakeel, Abdul Hameed and Farooq. Weapons were also seized from their possession.

The arrests were disclosed during a press conference at the Preedy Police Station where Saddar division SP Raees Abdul Ghani told the media that the arrests were made during snap checking in the area. He added that the suspects claimed to be members of a political party and had confessed to at least five cases of murders of rival party members - the Sunni Tehreek, Punjabi Pakhtun Ittehad and Awami National Party. The suspects had also revealed that the weapons were provided to them by their party's unit in-charge.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2015.