Militant commander among 35 held in Swabi

SWABI: At least 35 outlaws including an important militant commander were arrested in an operation in the mountainous Malikabad area of the district, a police official claimed here on Tuesday. District Police Officer (DPO) Sajjad Khan told reporters that the Swabi Police had started targetted operation in Malikabad and in the jurisdiction of the Industrial Estate Police Station after the assassination of SP Elite Force Khair-ul-Haseeb on the day of Eidul Fitr by the terrorists. He said the police raided and searched the hideouts of the suspected militants. During the search operation, he said 35 suspects had been arrested. He added that 10 of those arrested had frequently visited Afghanistan. “Some Afghans are also among the arrested persons,” said official. He said a suspected militant commander has also been arrested. “A special interrogation team has been constituted for the interrogation of the arrested militant,” DPO Sajjad added. However, he said that they could not disclose the name of the detained militants at this stage. The police claimed it had also arrested proclaimed offenders during the search operation. Besides, it said a drug trafficker identified as Mujahid was also arrested and 3.5 kilogram of hashish was recovered from his possession.