The Counter-Terrorism Department on Monday announced the killing of three terrorists of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including one allegedly involved in last year’s attack on Chinese engineers, during a joint operation with intelligence agencies in Karachi’s Manghopir area.
On Nov. 5, 2024, a private security guard at a textile mill in Karachi had opened fire and seriously injured two Chinese nationals. During a press conference, police said one of the deceased, identified as Zafran, was allegedly involved in that attack as well as the assault on the Karachi Police Office in 2023. They said he had a Rs. 20 million bounty on his head.
CTD Chief Raja Umar Khattab said security forces initiated a raid on credible intelligence regarding a terrorist hideout in Fatima Society on Karachi’s Ijtema Gah Road. He said the terrorists had opened fire on the security personnel, triggering a gunfight that lasted over an hour. All three suspected terrorists present were killed, he said, adding a fully assembled suicide jacket, three grenades, a Kalashnikov rifle, two pistols and a large cache of ammunition were also recovered from the site.
Police say they also seized a diary listing two or three high-value prospective targets.
Apart from Zafran, police have identified Qudratullah as the second deceased suspect, while the identity of the third remains pending.
Khattab said all three suspected terrorists were members of a TTP cell dispatched from Afghanistan, adding they had been under surveillance of intelligence officials for several days. He further said the cell was believed to have five members but only three were present at the time of the raid and a search operation was underway to locate the remaining two.