CTD kills four suspected TTP men

Observers say such shootout are usually followed by terrorist attacks

LAHORE: The Punjab Counter Terrorism Department claimed to have killed four suspected terrorists in an encounter near Saggian Bridge on Tuesday.



The CTD spokesperson said that a team from Sheikhupura received information that six or seven suspected TTP militants were headed to Lahore from Sheikhupura to launch an attack on police personnel. The team established pickets near Saggian Bridge towards Sheikhupura.

The police finally saw the suspects approaching and tried to force them to surrender. However, the suspects opened fire at the cops and this ultimately erupted into a shootout. When the guns finally fell silent, the police found that four of the militants were lying dead. Meanwhile, their accomplices took advantage of the dark and fled from the scene.

The CTD team recovered explosives, two Kalashnikovs, rifles, pistols and ammunition. The spokesperson for the department said the matter was being investigated further.

A similar encounter occurred on April 7 and the devastating suicide blast on Bedian Road took place just three days later. On that occasion, 10 suspects were killed in the encounter which took place at just a few kilometres’ distance from the blast site.

Tuesday’s encounter was also just a short distance away from the Outfall Road blast site. On the other hand, CTD is yet to make major inroads into recent incidents of terror which had cost a number of lives. For example, the department has not solved the Bedian Road blast or identified the main culprits.



The situation was similar as far as the Ferozpur Road suicide attack is concerned. The CTD also failed to determine the nature of the Defence Market blast which took place just a week after the incident on Mall Road.

When asked about the correlation between these encounters and subsequent terrorist attacks,, Punjab CTD chief Rai Tahir refused to comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th, 2017.