AQIS chief among four killed in Karachi encounter

KARACHI: Four terrorists were gunned down in an encounter with police, including Mullah Akbar Swati, the Karachi chief of Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), here on Monday. This happened a few hours after the terrorists targeted and killed a Karachi traffic policeman on Monday night and injured another.

“The spy agencies traced a telephone call in the morning that the terrorists were going to hold a gathering in the area,” Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar told The News. “The surveillance of the area was increased following intelligence sharing, and preparations were made for the arrest of the outlaws.”

“However, the terrorists opened fire on the police team that reached the site of terrorists’ gathering,” the SSP said, adding that the police retaliated and killed four of them. Following the encounter, a heavy contingent of Rangers reached the site and started searching the area to nab other terrorists.

Anwar said that the police had identified two terrorists, while the identity of two other terrorists was yet to be ascertained. “Two of the dead terrorists were identified as Mullah Akbar Swati and Mullah Humayun,” the SSP added.

Sharing more details, Anwar said that Mullah Akbar and Mullah Humayun were religious scholars and they belonged to Afghanistan. The SSP further added that the police had recovered two MP5s, two pistols and two hand grenades from the site of the encounter. A heavy contingent of Rangers was conducting a search operation in the area till the filing of this report.

Salis bin Perwaiz adds: Three days after three policemen were gunned down in the Korangi area, a traffic policeman was shot dead in an attack in Gulshan Town on Monday, bringing the total number of killed law enforcers to 14 this year in eight such incidents. Head Constable Mohammad Khan was gunned down, while Head Constable (HC) Mohammad Kamran was injured near the Paradise Bakery on the Abul Hasan Ispahani Road.

Karachi Traffic Police chief DIG Asif Aijaz Shaikh said that three HCs of the Gulzar-e-Hijri traffic section were on-duty at the Paradise Chowk, adding that four men on two motorbikes came in around 7.40pm and the pillion passengers opened fire on the cops.

DIG Shaikh said that the policemen were wearing bulletproof vests, but HC Khan received multiple bullet wounds and died on the spot, adding that his body was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

On the other hand, he said that HC Kamran survived after receiving multiple bullet wounds and was taken to the Aga Khan University Hospital. He further added that HC Iqbal had taken cover in a nearby shop and survived the attack.

The DIG said HC Khan belonged to Pano Aqil and lived in Mobina Town’s Bakhsh Ali Goth near Scout Colony. “The 30-year-old HC was married and had also adopted a son,” he added.

DSP Khalid Khan of the Sachal Division said that the three cops had been controlling traffic at the same spot for the past many years, adding that their attackers were wearing surgical masks.