Five terrorists killed in 16-hour operation in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A police official was martyred while five terrorists were killed during a 16-hour-long operation here in Phase-VII of the posh Hayatabad locality, officials said on Tuesday.

Two soldiers, two women and a few others also sustained injuries during the operation. They are being treated at local hospitals. The operation started at around 8 pm on Monday and concluded around 12 noon on Tuesday. Top police and army commanders personally led the action after it got prolonged.

The house where the exchange of fire took place for several hours collapsed when the explosives planted in it were exploded by the bomb disposal unit (BDU). The explosives were apparently planted to serve as booby trap to target senior officials and investigators.

People in the vicinity were shifted to safer places as all the area was evacuated during the operation. Heavy contingents of police and army had cordoned off the area throughout the night. The exchange of fire along with a few explosions of rocket launchers and hand-grenades continued throughout the night.

"One of our officers, Qamar Alam, embraced martyrdom during the operation. Five terrorists were killed during the action jointly carried out by the police and army," Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Qazi Jamilur Rehman, who led the operation. He told The News that one of the terrorists was a suicide bomber and belonged to Afghanistan.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said five terrorists were killed while one police officer embraced martyrdom and an officer and a jawan of army sustained injuries in the operation. It added that the army and police conducted a joint intelligence-based operation against the terrorists hiding in a house in Phase-VII in Hayatabad.

"The BDU cleared the crime scene. The experts recovered a highly sophisticated 15 kg improvised explosive device fitted in the tank and seat of a motorcycle parked in the house. The attackers had also connected another around 40 kg high-quality explosives with the motorbike as they wanted to target VIPs and investigation staff on the completion of the operation,” Assistant Inspector General of the BDU Shafqat Malik told The News. He added that they had collected all the evidence.

"We then initiated the explosives planted in the motorbike and another IED in the building through a 250-gram initiator. Before that, everyone was requested to stay at a safe distance. As the initiator was triggered by our team, the explosives in the house went off, razing the building to the ground," Shafqat Malik added.

He said hand-grenades, pistol, rifles and other pieces of evidence have been sent to the laboratory for forensic examination.

The police took some people into custody to know as to how the house was rented out to the slain men. Under the Tenant Act, all those renting out houses and buildings need to provide information of all inhabitants and guarantors to the local police.

The KP Police chief, Mohammad Naeem, visited Hayatabad during the operation to boost the morale of policemen and soldiers. "The sacrifices of the policemen and soldiers will not go in vain. We will fight the terrorists till they are eliminated," said the IGP. He paid rich tributes to the martyred police official, Qamar Alam, saying he fought bravely against the terrorists and laid down his life in the line of duty.

The funeral prayer for the martyred cop was held at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines. Chief Minister Mahmud Khan, cabinet members and senior civil and police officials attended the funeral. A salute was presented to the coffin of the martyred ASI.

Mahmud Khan paid tributes to the police and army for conducting a successful operation. He said the police and army saved the city from a major disaster as the attackers were planning to carry out terrorist attacks.

Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai late Monday night told the media that the operation was carried out by the army and police on the basis of information that the terrorists involved in attacks on an additional inspector general of police and a senior judge were hiding in the house.

Meanwhile, the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack through its spokesman, Mohammad Ali Khorasani. He said six TTP fighters carried out the attack and inflicted losses on the police and army.