Quetta raid: Pakistan Day terror plot nipped in bud

Nearly half-a-dozen militants arrested in various parts of the country

HANGU/ QUETTA/ LAKKI MARWAT:

Security forces have arrested nearly half-a-dozen terrorists in various parts of the country during operations and also seized a large cache of arms and ammunition.

Law enforcement agencies have foiled a terror bid to target Pakistan Day ceremonies in Quetta, arresting three militants and recovering arms and ammunition during the two different targeted operations in Quetta and Chaman.

While addressing the news conference at FC Madadgar Centre Quetta on Friday, Home Minister Balochistan Sarfaraz Bugti said law enforcement agencies on a tip-off raided different parts of the province. “Three extremists belonging to Tehreek-e-Pakistan Taliban (TTP) were arrested and a huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from their possession,” he added.

The home minister stated that militants are working on the agenda of foreign countries and are involved in the killing of innocent people. “They were planning a major terror activity during the celebration of Pakistan Day on 23rd March. However, timely action saved the province from big disaster,” he noted. Many terrorists, Sarfaraz Bugti said, have moved to the tribal areas of Balochistan following the operation Zarb-e-Azab against the militants’ hideouts in North Waziristan Agency.

He stated that the TTP has recently increased its activities in the northern areas of Balochistan by kidnapping officials and businessmen for ransom, adding, “They are being traced and arrested by a series of search operations.”

The Frontier Corps (FC) officials and the home minister appealed to local people of Killa Abdullah district to support the security forces for tracing the miscreants.

In a separate raid in New Kahan Hazarganji, suburb of Quetta, law enforcement personnel recovered mortar shells and 3kg of explosives material. “Some militants were arrested and being interrogated,” the home minister said. However, he did not reveal the exact number of arrests the security forces had made.

Law enforcement agencies seized two SMGs, 9 magazines with 340 rounds, 10 RPGs and 2,042 sniper rounds during the raid in Chaman and arrested three Taliban militants.

While responding to a question, Sarfaraz Bugti said the security forces arrested suspected militants from the Lack Pass area of Mastung district but it is yet to be confirmed whether the held militants belong to the outlawed Jundullah or not.

Militant chief arrested

Meanwhile, law enforcing agencies claimed to have arrested a notorious militant commander, Rasool Khan, during an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) in Sarai Naurang areas, tehsil Lakki Marwat, in the wee hours of Friday.

Rasool Khan was involved in a number of terrorist acts in different parts of K-P and adjoining tribal regions, a statement issued by the army’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, said.

However, no further details regarding his origin and identity were provided to the press

A cache of arms and ammunition along with three fake passports were recovered from the possession of the militant commander.

Militant with head money

In Tora Wari area of Hangu district, security forces during a raid succeeded in arresting a militant, Nasim Gul, on Friday. The K-P government had earlier declared a Rs300,000 bounty on his head.

The official said that on a prior tip-off, the raid was conducted against the suspected houses in Tora Warai, adjacent to Aurakzai Agency of the tribal belt.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2015.