Suspected militant commander arrested in Quetta search operation

In a separate search operation, officials recovered two suicide vests and 12kg of explosives

QUETTA: A suspected commander of a banned organisation was arrested among four others during a joint search operation in Quetta on Sunday.

“An important commander among four have been arrested,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Saryab Imran Qureshi told reporters.

He added that during the joint operation by police and Frontier Corp on Sunday morning, a large cache of arms and ammunition were seized along with maps and literature.

The suspects were shifted to an undisclosed location for questioning.

In a separate search operation in Wadat Colony of Quetta, police found a suicide vest near a storm drain.

“Around 12 kilogrammes of explosives were found near the suicide jacket,” a police official said. However, no arrest has been made in this regard.

Security in Quetta has been beefed up after the deadly attack on Army Public School in Peshawar. Security forces and police have increased patrolling and snap checking in sensitive areas.

“Security forces have launched a massive crackdown against the militants across the Balochistan like elsewhere in the country following the Peshawar massacre,” an official said, adding that several key leaders of militant organizations have so far been arrested during these raids.