Apprehended: Five suspected terrorists arrested in raid

Four policemen injured in improvised explosive device blast near a police van in Shabqadar.

SHABQADAR/ PESHAWAR:

Chamkani police raided a house in Tarnab area on Friday afternoon and arrested five suspected terrorists including a woman. A homemade bomb as well as high-intensity explosives along with ball bearings  were recovered from their possession.

Police said all the suspected terrorists were family members including Qaseerullah, Rohullah, Irfanullah and Asaullah while the woman, Munthazera, was their mother.



“We raided the house following intelligence reports as these terrorists were involved in attacks on Arbab Ayub Jan, ex-minister for agriculture and ANP’s candidate for NA-4, during his election campaign,” said an official of the Chamkani police station, adding the family was active in the area and allegedly involved in many more bomb blasts.

He said a bomb weighing around eight kilogrammes was recovered from the house and they also found a bag containing seven kilogrammes of high-intensity explosives besides ball bearings and other items used in the production of improvised explosive devices.

Police termed the raid a major success, claiming they were searching for the apprehended suspects for the past couple of months.

Police van attacked

Four police officials were injured when an improvised explosive device planted by unidentified militants along a road in Shabqadar tehsil of Charsadda district exploded near a police van on Friday evening.

SHO of Saro Kallay police, Gul Shaid said the police van was on routine patrol at around 7:45pm when a bomb hidden inside a heap of garbage exploded in Pir Qilla area, destroying the vehicle and injuring four police personnel.



The SHO added heavy contingents of police rushed to the site following the incident and launched a search operation while the injured were rushed to the tehsil hospital in Shabqadar. After being administered with first aid, the injured – identified as Amjid, Ihsanullah, Zubair Khan and Khadim – were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2013.