CTD Balochistan recovers massive cache of weapons, explosives

Security officials conduct raid at killed LeJ chief's hideout

QUETTA: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) recovered a large cache of weapons and explosives during a raid in Quetta's Kili Barat area late Sunday night.

Security forces conducted a raid at a hide-out used as a weapon factory by Balochistan Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) commander Salman Badeni and other militants - who were killed in an intelligence-based operation last week.



Over 200kg of explosives, three suicide jackets, three pistols, two Kalashnikov assault rifles, four home-made bombs and two improvised explosive devices were recovered. Detonation cords, detonators were also found.

DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema said the militants had set up an arms factory inside the house. “The evidence collected during the Kalli Almas operation and the Frontier Corps Madadgar Centre crime scene helped in narrowing down the hideout,” said Cheema.



Quetta witnessed a major terrorist bid where five suicide bombers, attempting to storm the FC Madadgar Centre, were intercepted and killed by security forces.

The militants mounted the attack in retaliation for the killing of Badeni, a day earlier, in one of the city’s most secure neighbourhoods near Quetta cantonment.

“The failed terrorist attempt was [in] response to [the] killing of [a] key terrorist on Wednesday night in a search operation in the Killi Almas area,” read the ISPR press release.