Karachi: In a crackdown on terrorists
before Moharram, police have arrested four top militants of
the banned Pakistani Taliban, including its Karachi head, who
were planning suicide attacks on security installations,
shrines and religious processions.
Senior officials of the CID police, Omer Shahid and
Fayyaz Khan told a news conference in Karachi that the four
were arrested from the Sohrab Goth area on the outskirts of
the city.
"One of them is presently leading the TTP leadership
in Karachi and is the local ameer," Omer said.
The four Amanuddin Munnoo, Ehsan Ullah, Barkat Ullah
and Umer Sohrab, the police official said had recently reached
Karachi from the North Waziristan tribal agency.
"We have recovered several jackets used in suicide
attacks one of them having around 12 kg explosive, ammunition
and other material during the raid," Khan said.
He said the four men had confessed that they were
sent to Karachi on the orders of Taliban chief, Hakimullah
Mehsud to carry out terror attacks.
Khan said the four planned to not only attack police
and security installations but also shrines and tombs and
processions that are taken out in the month of Muharram.
"I think we have averted major terror attacks with
the arrest of these four men," Omer said.
Security has been stepped up in many parts of the
city specially the sensitive red zone alert areas after
militants attacked the CID office close to the Chief
Minister`s house last month causing major damage and killed 18
people and wounding 135 others.
Earlier also suicide bombers had attacked the shrine
of Abdullah Shah Ghazi mazar in the Clifton area.
Security has been a major issue and worry for the
government in Pakistan in the last few years with activists
from the TTP and other banned jihadi outfits carrying out
several terror attacks in which around 3,000 people have lost
their lives.
PTI
