Shikarpur mosque bombing mastermind killed in Quetta

QUETTA: The mastermind of the Shikarpur mosque bombing was killed along with an accomplice in a shootout with the Frontier Corps during a search operation on the Mastung Road here on Sunday.
The FC personnel were carrying out a search operation in the suburbs of the provincial metropolis when terrorists belonging to the proscribed militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) opened fire at them, injuring an official. The injured soldier was shifted to a hospital.
Security forces returned fire and the shootout continued for quite some time. In the crossfire, the central commander of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) Saifullah Kurd was killed.Saifullah Kurd is believed to have masterminded the bombing of the Shikarpur mosque during Friday prayers, killing over 60 worshippers. The incident is considered one of the worst terrorism incidents in Sindh province.
An accomplice of Saifullah Kurd was also killed in the shootout, while another sustained serious injuries and was arrested in an injured condition.According to sources, Usman Saifullah was an important commander of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and was the mastermind of various deadly attacks in Balochistan. The bodies were shifted to hospital.
The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has been carrying out many deadly attacks in Balochistan, particularly against the Shia Hazara community of Quetta.The terrorist organisation is also believed to be behind several attacks on buses carrying Shia pilgrims to Iran.
Saifullah was a wanted terrorist who had escaped from the Anti-Terrorist Force Jail in Quetta Cantonment in 2008. He was implicated in multiple cases involving target killings, especially of Shia Hazaras. The Balochistan Home Department had announced a Rs2.5 million bounty for his capture.
Intelligence sources also said the commander had close contacts with both al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban.Security was beefed up in different parts of Quetta after the shootout in anticipation of a blowback from the militants.