Security forces foil Independence Day terror plot

ISLAMABAD:

The military on Wednesday said it has busted a ‘foreign-sponsored’ gang which was planning to sabotage Independence Day celebrations in Karachi.

“Some high-value targets, including Bakhat Zaman, the naib amir of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) Swat chapter, have been apprehended,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

The military’s media wing said the operation was carried out on the basis of credible intelligence which suggested that the gang was planning a major attack in Karachi on August 14. It added that the gang had been planning the attack for some time and had already prepared an explosives-laden vehicle and motorcycle which they intended to use on Independence Day.

“During interrogation, the apprehended terrorists confessed that the vehicles were arranged from Karachi and that they were now waiting for suicide bombers to arrive from Afghanistan. They revealed that the amir of TTP Swat in Karachi had gone to Afghanistan for this purpose,” the ISPR said.

After receiving the tip-off, security agencies observed the gang for weeks before launching simultaneous operations against its members in Karachi and Hyderabad on August 9.

“The explosives-laden hi-roof and motorcycle were also recovered [in the operation],” the statement said. It added that interrogation of suspects is expected to uncover even more startling revelations.

Pakistan’s claims that the failed terror plot has been traced to Afghanistan came amid recent allegations by the Afghan leadership that Islamabad is doing little to stop attacks in the war-torn country.

A high-level Afghan delegation is expected to travel to Islamabad on Thursday reportedly to demand action against the Afghan Taliban allegedly on Pakistan’s soil. Islamabad is also likely to raise the issue of ‘terror sanctuaries’ on Afghan soil from where the TTP and its affiliates are launching attacks against Pakistan.

Army chief visits N Waziristan

Amid the Afghan outburst, army chief General Raheel Sharif on Thursday visited front lines in North Waziristan Agency to review progress in the ongoing operations.

According to the ISPR, the army chief showed satisfaction over the gains of the operations so far and appreciated the “highest state of morale manifested while fighting terrorists in the most rugged terrain.”

Speaking to the troops, General Raheel said Operation Zarb-e-Azb was in its final stages in North Waziristan and that the remaining terrorists who had been squeezed into small pockets would be cleared shortly.

He also oversaw future operations, including the one in Shawal, and directed commanders to ensure that these terrorists must remain cut off from their friends and outside support.

“These enemies of the state and their financiers will not find any place in the country and will ultimately meet their justified end,” the army chief said. He added that the successes of Operation Zarb-e-Azb and sacrifices of “our officers and men have been acknowledged by the entire nation.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2015.