TTP’s Jamaatul Ahrar claims Kohat, Karachi attacks on policemen

Four policemen were martyred down in Kohat, two in Karachi in late night attacks

KARACHI/KOHAT/PESHAWAR: Jamaatul Ahrar, a splinter group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks on six policemen in Kohat and Karachi late Saturday night.

Four police officials were martyred in Kohat and two in Karachi in the attacks.

In Kohat attack, SHO Khanullah, additional SHO Tahir Khan, Head Constable Tanveer and Constable Abid Khan were martyred, an official told The Express Tribune.

ASI Iftikhar and Head Constable Raja Younus were martyred while Constable Raja Younus sustained injuries when their police van came under attack in Dhoraji locality of New Town, Karachi.



Following the incident, a contingent of police and Rangers arrived at the scene and cordoned the area in Karachi. Similarly, in Kohat, law enforcers also started a search operation but no arrests have been made thus far.

Taking notice of the attack, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Sindh IG AD Khowaja directed the authorities concerned to arrest those responsible for the act.

Meanwhile, two policemen were injured when unidentified riders opened indiscriminate fire at a police patrol van in Shamshato Refugees Camp on the outskirts of Peshawar late Sunday night.

A police official, while talking to The Express Tribune, said that Inayat, the in charge of Shamshato police post, was patrolling the area when his vehicle came under fire.



New sleeper cell
Investigators probing the deadly attack at the police mobile believed that another ‘sleeper cell’ of the militants was activated in the city.

“I don’t think so that these two organisations could have been behind this police mobile attack,” senior officer of the Counter-Terrorism Department of the Sindh police Raja Omar Khattabt told The Express Tribune.

“The third group could have been behind the incident and we are waiting for them to claim responsibility.”

CTD in-charge Khattab said that it seems that a sleeper cell has been activated in the city.

“After Asim Capri and Ishaq Bobby were arrested over the assassination of Amjad Sabri, we found that a new sleeper cell had been activated,” explained Khattab.