Karachi airport attack mastermind killed in N Waziristan: Sources
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ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR. The mastermind of the Karachi airport attack, Abu Abdul Rehman al Maani was killed during the overnight air strikes carried out by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter jets and the Pakistan Army jointly in North Waziristan early morning Sunday, military sources told Dawn.com.
Intelligence and military sources told Dawn.com that Abu Abdur Rehman Almani is considered a key commander of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), also now famous by the name of Islamic Movement of Turkestan. The IMU, an organisation of militants mostly from the central Asian Uzbek state, had claimed that its suicide bombers carried out the attack on the Karachi airport.
There are also reports of some East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) terrorists also killed in the strikes, considered a big blow to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the ETIM network in the North Waziristan Agency. However, there was no confirmation from the military on the identity of the deceased.
The ETIM is a separatist militant outfit blamed for numerous terror attacks in China’s restive western region of Xinjiang.
The Chinese government had recently pressed Pakistan to take action against the Uighur separatists based in North Waziristan.
The movement's principle aim is to establish an independent Islamic state called East Turkestan.
Read more: China official sees militant links in Pakistan
Military sources said there were confirmed reports of the presence of foreign and local terrorists in these hideouts who were linked to the planning of the Karachi airport attack that left 38 dead.
Sources said reportedly over 50 terrorists, mostly Uzbeks were killed in the strikes.
Meanwhile, at least three security personnel were injured Sunday afternoon as a security forces vehicle was targeted in Karam Kot village of Mir Ali Tehsil of North Waziristan Agency.
Read more
On DawnNews
Comments (57) Closed
Jun 15, 2014 03:15pm
Kill them all. Continue extensive air attack.
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Jun 15, 2014 03:23pm
Well done job Pak Army
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Jun 15, 2014 03:29pm
Very well done keep it up.
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Jun 15, 2014 03:37pm
Allahamdulliah!!!
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Jun 15, 2014 03:41pm
Yes keep attacking Fata while your major cities are completely occupied by militants!! Karachi was attacked and they are bombing in Fata so is karachi safe now? Whats the after math of these attack in FATA? the problem is that its easy to bomb via fighter jets rather than conduct an On Ground operation and clean the Big cities first to avoid any after effects of such operations. You bombard in northern areas and militants will not hesitate to enter open cities of Pakistan.
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Jun 15, 2014 03:41pm
Great job done by great army. Keep it up! Force these goons to be on the run. Allah be with you, Ameen.
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Jun 15, 2014 03:46pm
it is too good to be true... It is just a publicity stunt to over shadow the failure... are we really fool. there has been no investigation of any kind and the master mind drops from no where... wow.. A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.
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Jun 15, 2014 03:52pm
If you kill 100 Operational bogies ( Bad Taliban the executing foot soldiers ) , 1000 more fierce-some killers will replace them , If you eliminate 50 planners , 100 will be there to replace them , If You Kill 10 masterminds , 20 will be there to step in . I assume In the strategic thinking of the Boys , all those are being BAD Talibans and they are targeted after having given enough advance warnings to the Good Talibans to take to safer grounds ( like the Govt have been doing in Karachi , given 48 hours advance notice before launching operation cleanup ) .... around 50000+ from NWA and triable areas have moved on to safer grounds near Afghan borders since May this year ( reported in the national media ) SO What does it matter if the Master mind of the Karachi attach has been killed " Why he was not killed before hand when they knew who he was and what was his mission ??? as long as the idea is not killed and uprooted " All Talibans are Bad , there is No Good ones among them " and as long as the military does not stop nourishing them as strategic assets to be used later on in Afghan or in Kashmir , there will be no point of announcing killing a master mind ...
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Jun 15, 2014 03:53pm
excellent job, Well done Pak Army
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Jun 15, 2014 04:01pm
@Nabeel Perhaps you have not read about the crackdown launched by Police and other paramilitary agencies in Karachi, which has resulted in arrest of dozens of foreigners, including one with video of Karachi airport. Criticism is a healthy thing, but please give the credit where it's due.
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Jun 15, 2014 04:12pm
How come the army knows precisely where these militants are hiding? And if our intelligence is so efficient then why don't they weaken the terrorists already? Why do they wait for big attacks like the Karachi airport attack and then retaliate?
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Jun 15, 2014 04:19pm
Keep up the good job Pakistan!!!
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Jun 15, 2014 04:23pm
If it was so easy to eliminate them within 48 or 72 hours then why it is not done on time to prevent the situation like the one happened in Karachi.
You give what ever name you like because those who believe in you they don't need clarification and confirmation but the wast majority don't believe you blindly
If it is true then good job but if it is just for the sake that joint chief of staff chairman is US for important meetings and at the same time to get more sympathies on your part is not justified.
waiting for the worst and then attacking the enemy is above the understanding of a common citizen
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Jun 15, 2014 04:26pm
@adeel BRAVOOOO
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Jun 15, 2014 04:31pm
@Nabeel the root is in FATA....to destroy the ants colonies, you a have to attack the Queen, which is living at FATA. Once we flashed out of there...they will have no place to hide. Also every Pakistan should make it a duty on themselves to report the authorities if they see something that is not usual. Just like how we do in the USA, if I see something, I say something...I was crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, while I see these two guys left their van and walking out of the Bridge....I called the police and reported it.....just to be safe.
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Jun 15, 2014 04:31pm
The reason behind these bomb blasts is that the government shows no reaction no matter how many die. These so-called Jihaadis are killing innocent citizens in any case, so better continue the air attacks. There should be one more bomb blast on the Parliament House.
God bless Pakistan.
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Jun 15, 2014 04:47pm
If they have the intelligence, why do they have to wait for a terrorist incident to retaliate. How about pre-emptive strikes ?
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Jun 15, 2014 05:05pm
These militants are not Pakistanis, and are living in Pakistan illegally. Please do not feel any sympathy for these people. They are enemies of Pakistan. These have killed thousands of innocent Pakistanis.
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Jun 15, 2014 05:14pm
@Masoud will it solve any thing?? that remains to be seen.
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Jun 15, 2014 05:24pm
@Nabeel the entire operation is like surgery...if we are not careful. it will spread out... Hope we all know that..
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Jun 15, 2014 05:27pm
LONG LIVE PAKISTAN, LONG LIVE PAKISTAN ARMY
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Jun 15, 2014 06:05pm
@MN : so if they were Pakistanis, leave them? It is wide known many local Pakistanis were lured into militancy.
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Jun 15, 2014 06:38pm
@Nabeel Dear innocent, their roots are in North Waziristan
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Jun 15, 2014 06:48pm
Why not earlier? I don,t believe that army got info just after Karachi attack. They were waiting to happened some ugly incident and then they strike the thugs. I don,t buy this idea. If army knows more then they revil. They should go after these goons. Or still army is in same Delia of good terrorist bad terrorist.
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Jun 15, 2014 07:18pm
@Saad(DXB) What about those innocent people who will become victim of these air strikes? Not everyone who is being killed by this bombardment is militant ,there are other common residents who are losing their life just due to this military operation.
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Jun 15, 2014 07:22pm
Bravo PAF
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Jun 15, 2014 07:24pm
I doubt if we know who we killed but we should keep killing all the same since N Waziristan is teeming with enemies of Pakistan.
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Jun 15, 2014 07:33pm
Killing of East Turkistani fighters (ETIM) bothers me. They are fighting the might of a super power China to save Islam in what China calls its Sinkiang province. China is uprooting the Uighurs and giving their land to Han Chinese. While ETIM are located in N Waziristan, they have never harmed a single Muslim either in Pakistan or in East Turkistan. Bombing them is a big sin PAF is committing.
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Jun 15, 2014 07:52pm
Killing of some terrorists in retaliatory air strikes in NWA is not going to eliminate militancy in Pakistan as they are spread all over Pakistan namely Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore, other places and many have crossed over to the safer places in Afghanistan. More importantly, in counter-insurgency operations actionable intelligence is required about their hideouts and sleeper cells locations, movements routes, local support etc in all the said cities which need to be raided and busted first before launching decisive ground operations to avoid retaliatory attacks from terrorists entrenched in these places. Intelligence failure has lead to many lightening attacks in big cities by the terrorists who move to their safe hide-outs, merge with their sleeper cells which are still intact and source of major attacks on air-ports, installations and innocent civilians.
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Jun 15, 2014 08:29pm
I am 500% for creativity and 500% enemy of illiteracy and 1000% enemy of intolerance. If this action brings the creativity and education back to society where everyone tolerates everyone then I am all for these kid of actions. What if there is a small chance of failure and what if these actions make things worse? Military planners were never wrong ever. Just look it up and see if history is ripe with nothing but success of all military actions. You don't need to look to far back just visit the last 2 or three decades.
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Jun 15, 2014 08:35pm
@Ahmer And the problems begin here...Militants trying to save Islam in
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Jun 15, 2014 09:00pm
@Shahid 5% of the people killed might be innocent brother. But i can assure you that 100% of the people killed by the cowardly acts of these terrorists are innocent.
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Jun 15, 2014 09:13pm
Go get them, kill them all. Every single one who has and is linked to harming this beautiful country of ours. Jinnah gave us freedom, and we have to use that freedom by giving our people a peaceful country to live in. May Allah protect all our soldiers and security personal, Ameen
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Jun 15, 2014 09:40pm
Chase them down even in Afghanistan and bury them in rubble along with their foreign handlers.
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Jun 15, 2014 09:55pm
Alhamdulillah!
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Jun 15, 2014 10:47pm
@Last Word And this is where many thousands of civilians can be key in taking back Pakistan from militants. Local people must know the locations of sleeper cells, active militants, militant mullahs, etc., and must now step forward and participate in pointing them out and getting them eliminated. It is up to every individual to do his or her part.
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Jun 15, 2014 10:48pm
@Nabeel And if they show their faces and intentions elsewhere in the country, then you take them out as they emerge.
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Jun 15, 2014 10:48pm
Now everyone wants to kill them with or without proof against them. Why are the mastermind and key players of Mumbai Attack are not treated in the same fashion?
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Jun 15, 2014 11:20pm
Good job Pakistan Army.
Dear gov. of Pakistan, This time show us ( Pak. citizens ) that you are really serious about cleaning this mess by doing same operations on such madrassahs in South Punjab.
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Jun 15, 2014 11:55pm
media stunt. Easiest way to remove pressure of investigation, and exposing internal/external culprits..
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Jun 15, 2014 11:58pm
Too little to late.......if only our govt and Armed forces used per- emptive strike if they had the info....our towns and cities would have been so peaceful TODAY.......why such pre-emptive action was not taken in the past is not understandable......such delayed action gives birth to conspiracy theories only....
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Jun 16, 2014 12:13am
@Pakistani You mean except Central Punjab and cantt. areas. right!
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Jun 16, 2014 12:21am
Not against bombing the terrorists but how about trying to solve the bigger and ingrained political problem - by teaching school children that compromise is not against Islam, and if Allah wanted everyone to be of one faith, He would have created them that way? How about also teaching history in text books that are based on fact and not fiction? Killing a few will be useless if more join them.
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Jun 16, 2014 01:29am
Best defense is offense. Like usa did after 9/11. And no more attacks after 9/11
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Jun 16, 2014 02:55am
It's depressing that Karachi air port attack mastermind Abu Abdur Rehman Almani is killed in an air-strike. I wish he were nabbed alive and burnt in a busy intersection of Lahore. Only the civilized people, not the savages, deserve civilized treatment. Savagery must be suppressed with savagery.
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Jun 16, 2014 05:44am
Mastermind killed?! Within a week after Karachi?!! Such things sell only in pakistan!
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Jun 16, 2014 06:04am
Great Job. Finish them all. Do Not Stop. The people of Pakistan are behind you.
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Jun 16, 2014 06:52am
Kill 'me all.
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Jun 16, 2014 09:23am
Good move. Crush them to pulp.
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Jun 16, 2014 10:08am
@MN If the militants are Pakistanis what about sympathy?
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Jun 16, 2014 01:45pm
Good job. I'm wondering what Hafiz Sayeed has to say now who always blames India for anything and everything.
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Jun 16, 2014 09:04pm
@Nabeel They should carry out a parallel operation in Karachi and other cities which should include door to door search for unlicenced guns which should all be confiscated and the possessors of such arms should be booked.
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Jun 16, 2014 09:10pm
@Alok LOL Hafiz knows that the terrorists are safe elsewhere, like in Karachi and elsewhere. The airstrikes are just a window dressing to satisfy China.
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Jun 16, 2014 09:19pm
This will be a long and persistent war as we're dealing with seasoned terrorists who have not only been entrenched in their safe havens within the tribal belts for a while but have now infested our cities and towns as well. This operation will not be an overnight success and the entire nation needs to prepare for the reprisal attacks as the terrorists will not go down without a fight. These individuals have been brainwashed to the point that a human life is of no value to them, be it theirs or anyone else's for that matter. Women, children, elders, places of worship etc. are all fair game to them as they have been de-humanized and de-sensitized by their twisted ideology. This operation will test the resolve of our nation but as long as Pak armed forces have the support of the citizens of Pakistan then they will continue to destroy the terrorists and their nefarious ambitions. May Allah (SWT) help Pakistan against all ills and evils. Pakistan zindabad!
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Jun 17, 2014 02:20am
My brother was in the Navy - and I know how passionate he was about Pakistan and so were his colleagues. Most of our personnel in the armed forces have joined the military because they love their homeland, and unlike the United States, not because they have been forcefully recruited or were tempted with free health care and education. And when our brave men and women in uniform are put to test, they bring out the best in them. While I have nothing but utmost respect and confidence in our military, I hope our leaders will not let their sacrifices go in vain. Our armed forces have the will and they also have the resources - they just need proper directions to go and finish the job. And finish the job - they will do, because each of them take great pride in the role that they are playing! God bless them all!
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Jun 17, 2014 05:25pm
@adeel : No doubt our premiere intel agency is the BEST in the World, but only keeping tabs on the politicians, businessmen and common citizens.
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Jun 17, 2014 09:21pm
Operation against Talibans, who have killed thousands of innocent people was a must and it must continue till they are all eliminated for ever.
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