Two linked to APS attack among ‘terrorists’ killed

Karachi
Five suspected Taliban terrorists, two of them believed to be involved in the brutal attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar on December 16 last year, were killed by police in two separate raids on Sunday.
The courter-terrorism department in-charge in Civil Lines, Mazhar Mashwani, said following a tip-off, his team, accompanied by special security unit personnel, conducted a raid at a hideout in Qaimkhani Colony, Saeedabad. In the ensuing shootout, two Taliban terrorists were injured and taken into custody while their associates managed to escape. The two men were taken to the Civil Hospital where they expired.
They were identified as Zubair Khan and Kamran Khan, who had arrived in the city from Dir and Khyber Agency and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The official said they had also killed policemen on the outskirts of the city.
A weapons and explosives factory being operated by the terrorists was found at their hideout. The police seized two ready-to-use improvised explosive devices, 200 kilogrammes of explosives, ammonium nitrate, detonating cords, five MP-5s, five Makarov pistols, 17 bags of bullets, commando shoes, chemicals used in making ball bombs, a large quantity of ball bearings, 60 detonators, fuses with wires, SIMs and cell phones.
The two improvised explosive devices were concealed in steel boxes. They weighed around four or five kilogrammes and also contained ball bearings. The devices were defused by the bomb disposal squad.
Mashwani said the police also found a large grinding machine used for preparing iron objects used in improvised explosive devices. A register containing formulas and methods for preparing improvised explosive devices and planting them in motorcycles, cars, pressure cookers, ball, concrete blocks etc was also found.
The police also found papers that contained sentences used in writing extortion threat notes.
The official said a few days ago, the police had found a rickshaw in which a bomb prepared by these terrorists was planted. It was meant to be used for carrying out an attack on Rangers.
Mashwani said five or six other members of the group were still on the loose. He added that they the group was responsible for many cop murders and bomb blasts in the city ion the recent past.
Later, IGP Ghulam Hyder Jamali announced a reward of Rs1.5 million for the police team that carried out the raid.

Super Highway raid
Three suspected Taliban terrorists were killed in an encounter with police near Super Highway.
SSP Malir Rao Anwaar said police, after receiving information about the presence of some Taliban terrorists in the Quetta Town area of Jamali Goth in Sohrab Goth who had arrived in the city from Waziristan to escape the military operation there, he and his team conducted a raid and after a brief shootout, killed three terrorists.
They were identified as Qudratullah alias Commander Sher, Akhtar Wali and Hayatullah. The SSP said Qudratullah was the chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Mohmand chapter.
A sub-machine gun, three TT pistols, five bags containing around 50 kilogrammes of explosive material, a rocket and two grenades were found at their hideout.

Rangers raids
Rangers rounded up 22 suspects in raids conducted in different areas of the city.
A Rangers spokesperson the suspects, who included target killers and terrorist, were arrested in raids conducted in Soldier Bazaar, Agra Taj Colony, Bihar Colony, Malwari Para, Liaquatabad, Northern Bypass, Peerabad and Shah Faisal Colony.
Many weapons including SMGs and jihadist literature were found during the raids.

Search operation
Over 200 cops conducted an operation in Hijrat Colony, Sultanabad and Railway Colony and arrested some suspects.