KARACHI: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of police on Saturday claimed to have arrested a would-be suicide bomber and another militant, associated with a banned outfit, who were allegedly involved in major terrorist acts in urban and rural Sindh and operating their networks in four major cities of the province besides Jafferabad district of Balochistan, said Sindh CTD chief Dr Sanaullah Abbasi.
In a targeted raid conducted in the Manghopir area of Karachi, the CTD team detained the two suspects, Shaukat (would-be suicide bomber) and Abdul Ghani, and seized explosive material, a suicide jacket, a hand grenade and two pistols from their custody.
“The held militants, who belonged to the Brohi tribe and were trained in Balochistan, were operating terror networks in Sukkur, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Sanghar districts in Sindh and Jafferabad district in Balochistan,” said Dr Abbasi.
He added that law enforcers in Balochistan on the request of Sindh police also conducted raids in the ‘B’ Area of Balochistan where militants existed and “feel free to operate” due to lack of police writ there.
Meanwhile, CTD SSP Pervez Chandio said: “The held militants were planning major terror acts against the Shia community.”
The militants had been involved in several attacks on people belonging to the Shia and Barelvi schools of thought, the officer added.
Speaking at a press conference at his office, SSP Chandio said the militants were involved in a suicide attack on an Imambargah in a Shikarpur village, where sub-inspector Mohammed Hanif and two constables were killed, in 2010.
They were also involved in a bomb attack on a caravan led by a prominent figure of the Barelvi school of thought, Syed Ghulam Husain Shah Bukhari, in Jacobabad in 2013. At least one person was killed and three others were injured in the incident. The same year the militants carried out a bomb attack in Keamari that left a faith-healer, Juman Shah, dead and several others wounded. In another bomb attack that the militants carried out in Shikarpur later during the year, Dr Ibrahim Jatoi survived.
They were also involved in a vehicle-fitted bomb attack on CIA Centre in Sukkur. “They carried out this attack on the CIA Centre as its personnel were involved in the killings of militants in encounters,” said SSP CTD Pervez Chandio.
“The held militants also carried out a bomb attack on an Imambargah in Lucky Gate, Shikarpur, on Jan 30, 2015 in which 70 people were killed and several others hurt,” added SSP Chandio.
They were involved in a suicide bombing against members of the Shia community in the Khanpur area of Shikarpur on Aug 13, 2016. A policeman and the suicide bomber were killed in the blast while another suicide bomber was arrested with the help of the people.
Source: Dawn News
