Quetta militant hunt: Suspects in airbase attack rounded up

Troops seize a large cache of arms and ammunitions from their possession

QUETTA: Paramilitary troops have arrested three militants, with bounty on their heads, involved in Khalid Airbase attack, during an operation in Balochistan’s capital city on Monday.

“Police carried out a search operation in the Eastern Bypass area of Quetta and detained three terrorists belonging to a proscribed outfit who were also accused in a number of targeted killings,” Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti told reporters in a news conference at the CCPO office Quetta.

A large cache of arms and ammunitions was seized from their possession, he added.



“Police are making efforts to control targeted killings in coordination with the intelligence agencies,” the minister said, adding that various search operations were also underway in many areas.

The three militants are identified as Zafarullah alias Muzafar Jan, a resident of Quetta; Ali Gull alias Ubaida Pathan, who belongs to Kohlu district; and Rehman Wali alias Rehman, who hails from Waziristan. They had a head money of Rs1.5 million, Rs1 million and Rs0.5 million, respectively, he added.

Police personnel, Sarfraz Bugti said, were making efforts to bring all in-hand resources to counter acts of terrorism in Quetta, adding that the arrested suspects were wanted by the police in various acts of killings including Satellite Town, New Sariab Road and Kechibeg.

Police were also conducting raids in the province in light of the information provided by the detained suspects he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2015.