Commander Umer Latif’s wife, two children taken into custody. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Chief of al Qaeda in Balochistan and South Punjab Umer Latif, alias Luqman, who carried a bounty of Rs2 million on his head, has been killed in a raid near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Chagai district, Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti claimed on Sunday.
“Commander Latif’s wife and two children have been taken into custody during the raid,” he told a news conference at his office. “His wife was the head of al Qaeda’s women wing in Balochistan.” Bugti, however, said Commander Latif’s brother managed to escape from the scene.
Sharing details of the raid with newsmen, he said security forces and intelligence agencies carried out the operation in a remote area of Chagai which shares border with Afghanistan. “He used his wife and children as a human shield during the raid but the security forces smartly gunned him down,” he added.
Commander Latif was facing six terrorism charges, including attacks in Gujranwala, Gujrat and Lahore. “He was responsible for providing logistic support to terrorists in Quetta and Afghanistan,” Bugti said.
Bugti said Bilal has fled across the border into Afghanistan, while security has been stepped up along the border.
“Commander Latif’s group was also operating a kidnapping ring in South Punjab,” he said.
Two militants slain in Awaran, three arrested in Kalat
Frontier Corps (FC) troops killed at least two suspected militants in a raid in Awaran district on Sunday, an FC spokesman said. Another three were arrested following a separate search operation in the Mangocher area of Kalat, he added.
“Acting on a tip off, the FC carried out a search operation in the Mashkay area of Awaran,” the spokesman said. “Two militants, who had been involved in attacks on security forces, were killed. Arms and ammunition were recovered from their possession,” he told The Express Tribune.
FC troops carried out another raid in the Mangocher area of Kalat on Sunday following a tip-off about the presence of Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in the vicinity, the spokesman said. “Three BLA militants were arrested. They are being interrogated,” he added.
The paramilitary force also carried out a third search operation in the Goth Fazal Muhammad area of Nasirabad district, according to the spokesman. A massive arms cache was recovered in the raid, he said.
“FC troops recovered four Chinese light machine guns, a rocket propelled grenade launcher with nine rounds and ten fuses, two sub-machine guns and three automatic weapons with 11,329 rounds,” the spokesman said. No arrest was made in the operation, he added.
Bugti condemns Altaf’statement
At the news conference, the home minister also criticised MQM chief Altaf Hussain, saying he should avoid giving controversial statements against Pakistan and its institutions as he was a British citizen. “Altaf Hussain is a terrorist who has been making provocative statements against the Pakistan Army while sitting in England.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 3rd, 2015.
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