ISLAMABAD: Intelligence reports indicate that militants flee to Afghanistan after conducting activities in Pakistan. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa counter-terrorism department has said that Islamabad and Kabul are in contact with each other to address this issue actively.
Additional Inspector-General and head of the CTD’s KP chapter, Shaukat Abbas, informed reporters during a briefing that there is a state-to-state contact between Pakistan and Afghanistan to find a solution to militants who escape to Afghanistan. He mentioned that serious negotiations are underway in this regard.
Mr. Abbas revealed that the department has located relatives of the suicide bomber who targeted a security forces vehicle in Bajaur on August 9. The CTD is actively working to identify the suicide bomber who detonated himself at a JUI-F workers’ convention in the tribal district on July 30.
Regarding the attack on the JUI-F meeting, Mr. Abbas stated that while some individuals have been arrested, the network behind the attack is yet to be fully uncovered. He indicated that the suicide bomber is likely of Afghan nationality.
Additionally, the AIG reported that the CTD has identified a sleeper cell of militants that has been active in the Swabi district for seven to eight years. He provided details of a police official and two constables who were targeted by militants on April 7. The assailants hurled a hand grenade at them, resulting in two deaths and one injury.
CTD obtained CCTV camera footage of the attack
Meanwhile, following a probe, the CTD obtained CCTV camera footage of the attack. Eventually, intelligence-led them to a suspected militant named Arshad, who was arrested in a raid. Arshad identified two others, Ataullah and Sher Ali, both residents of Swabi, from the CCTV footage.
Furthermore, Arshad confessed during interrogation that the attack was planned at his hujra. He named Ataullah, Sher Ali, and Aqib Javed as co-conspirators. Sher Ali was subsequently arrested, and weapons were seized from him. Both suspected militants were affiliated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s Saifullah Group.
Efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining two suspected militants, Ataullah and Aqib. The mastermind behind the militant activity, Abideen, identified as Ataullah’s brother, is currently in Afghanistan.
In addition, Ataullah was identified as a member of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s Mohsin Qadir group. He had been involved in influencing seminarians and underwent a transformation from growing up in Pakistan to moving to Afghanistan.
Tragically, Police Sub-Inspector Gul Jalal, posted to the Police Assistance Lines, succumbed to gunshot wounds on Monday. He had been attacked while on his way to the mosque for pre-dawn prayers on Friday. The funeral for the martyred police official took place at Peshawar’s police headquarters on Monday.
