Female militant arrested in Lahore found to be IS-affiliate who went missing

Militants were planning to target churches and Christian gathering on Easter

LAHORE: Atleast one militant was killed while four others, including a woman, were arrested on Saturday in a joint operation by the Counter-Terrorism Department [CTD] and security agencies in Lahore.

According to sources, the militants had planned to target churches and Christian gatherings on Easter in the city. Four security personnel were injured during the raid.



The female militant has been identified as Noreen Laghari - a student of Liaqaut University of Medical Sciences who went missing on February 10, 2017. Initial investigations revealed the woman had joined Islamic State.

SSP Hyderabad Police, Irfan Baloch had informed the media the young woman was reportedly inspired by the IS ideology. A CCTV footage showed her leaving for Lahore alone. She had later informed her family through social media that she had reached the land of Khilafat.

Local police believes the medical student had intentionally joined the militant group, adding that around a dozen female students of high profile educational institutions, missing from different areas of the province were believed to have joined IS.



According to the suspect's father, Dr Abdul Jabbar Laghar, Noreen had left home for university to attend morning classes on February 10 and had been missing since. Rejecting the claims of Hyderabad Police and other LEAs, Professor Leghari said his daughter's view were not so 'radical' that she could leave home and join a militant organisation. He claimed she might have been kidnapped.