'AQIS terrorist' gunned down in Karachi encounter

CTD in-charge claims Saeed was involved in attacks on security personnel, bomb blasts

KARACHI:

An alleged member of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) was shot dead in an encounter with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) police on the Hawkes Bay Road late on Tuesday night.

According to CTD in-charge Mazhar Mashwani, the police launched an operation near Musharraf Colony based on a tip-off but were met with gunfire.

As the police retaliated, one of the alleged terrorists was shot and injured, he said, adding that his apparently accomplices managed to escape from the spot.

Mashwani claimed the injured terrorist, identified as Saeed alias Loha, succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital.

"Saeed is a member of AQIS and some of his accomplices were killed in drone attacks in 2016," maintained Mashwani, adding that the slain terrorist had been trained in Afghanistan. He further stated that Saeed had fled back to Afghanistan in 2016 and had recently returned to Pakistan, following which the CTD launched efforts to track him down.

He claimed Saeed and his accomplices were involved in attacks on security forces and law enforcement personnel as well as bomb blasts and other terrorist activities.

According to Mashwani, a black bag owned by Saeed was found at the scene, containing two bombs. The CTD team subsequently summoned the bomb disposal squad (BDS), which safely defused both the bombs, he added.

According to the BDS, the bombs had been prepared in two plastic jars, each with 1 kilogramme of explosives. They added that both the bombs were prepared in the same way and contained local explosives with non-electronic detonators. Each of the jars had a safety fuse also connected to explosives.

The BDS stated that each bomb could have caused destruction in a radius of 10 to 15 metres if set off.