K-P rounds up 13 TTP affiliates

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) busted a big terrorist network linked to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), besides breaking the chain of its fundraising, a senior police officer said on Wednesday.

Deputy Inspector General Imran Shahid of the CTD’s Counter-Terrorism Finance Unit told The Express Tribune a total of 13 “contractors” had been arrested from Mardan, Swabi and southern tribal districts for raising funds for the terrorists.

DIG Shahid also revealed that four high-profile terrorists, belonging to the banned TTP, were arrested, and a large quantity of ammunition was recovered from Buner district in an intelligence-based operation (IBO). The arrested terrorists were wanted for target killing, extortion and other terrorist activities.

Shahid explained that 13 people were arrested during the ongoing swoop on terror-financing. “Financially strong contractors have given tens of thousands of rupees to banned organisations. With these funds terrorists carry out acts of terrorism in the province and the tribal areas,” he said.

"Criminal charges related to terror financing will be filed against individuals who engage in clandestine donations to outlawed organizations. As of this year, there have been 173 reported instances of extortion, with arrests being made in 60% of these cases. Notably, 90% of the apprehended individuals are Afghan citizens," Shahid told The Express Tribune.

According to the CTD DIG, Afghan terrorists were carrying out extremist activities in K-P with the help of local people. He added that in a recent IBO in the Buner district, the CTD arrested four terrorists of the TTP and recovered explosives, hand grenades and other weapons from their possession.

He identified the apprehended individuals as Wajid Ali, Rehmanuddin, Najamuddin, and Ayaz Khan, all hailing from various regions within Buner. This group, he added, was actively involved in a range of criminal activities, including extortion, targeted killings, and other acts of terrorism within the district.

The seized arsenal included four hand grenades, three pistols, over 200 rounds of ammunition of various calibers, six kilograms of explosives, four detonators, a Pakistani passport bearing the name of Wajid Ali, a Pakistani national identity card in the name of Najamuddin, and four mobile phones.

He went on to reveal that Wajid Ali held the position of commander within this apprehended group. Furthermore, Najamuddin was identified as a nephew of active TTP commanders, Ehsanullah and Abdul Rashad, both of whom had gone into hiding following the commencement of the military operation Rah-e-Rast.

The DIG also disclosed that Ayaz Khan had confessed during interrogation to being responsible for targeting security forces and law enforcement personnel within the district. This task had been assigned to him by the terrorist commander Mufti Sajjad, as Shahid stated, adding that Wajid Ali had connections with the Mufti Sajjad group operating in Afghanistan.

"These arrested terrorists were tasked with carrying out assassinations of political figures, security personnel, and civilians, in addition to their involvement in extortion activities. They had also received militant training in Afghanistan and were responsible for providing logistical support to terrorist cells in the mountainous regions," detailed DIG Shahid.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2023.