Pakistan Taliban group behind Peshawar plane attack

Islamabad: Pakistan security officials on Friday said that a group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was responsible for an attack on a plane Tuesday that killed one passenger, media reported.

The Tariq Geedar group of the TTP is based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is led by Khalifa, a militant, Dawn online reported. A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Airbus A-310, carrying 196 passengers and 10 crew members from Riyadh, came under fire while landing at Peshawar`s Bacha Khan International Airport. An official said that the roof of a school in Sulieman Khel, an area near Peshawar, was used for targeting the Airbus when it was landing at the Bacha Khan International Airport late on Tuesday night. The school was closed for summer vacation and its watchman was absent from duty, the official said. The militants affixed an extra barrel to an AK-47 rifle to enhance its fire range and used tracer bullets to ensure that they hit the target. Further investigation is underway, the official added. Earlier June 8, at least 30 people were killed when terrorists attacked Karachi`s Jinnah International Airport. Terrorist groups Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) claimed responsibility for the attacks at the Karachi airport.