KARACHI: The Rangers on Friday claimed to have killed an alleged mastermind behind the attack on the Kamra Airbase in an ‘encounter’ in the Mochko area.

Acting on a tip-off, the paramilitary force carried out a targeted raid on an alleged hideout of militants in Musharraf Colony on Thursday night, where in an ensuing encounter a suspect was shot dead.

The Rangers officials identified the deceased as Bilal Khan belonging to the Tehreek Taliban Pakistan and claimed that he was the mastermind behind the attack on the Kamra Airbase last year.

He had allegedly prepared, brainwashed and dispatched suicide bomber Taimur, who detonated the explosive material strapped to his body at the Kamra base, the officials added.

The paramilitary force claimed to have seized one hand grenade and one Kalashnikov assault rifle from him.

Meanwhile, the Rangers claimed to have saved the city from what they described as “a major disaster” by carrying out a targeted raid in Sultanabad, Manghopir, on the information obtained from an already held ‘terrorist’ and recovered a huge amount of weapons and explosive material.

According to the spokesperson for the Rangers, the weapons were brought here and dumped for a terrorist attack on Yaum-i-Ali.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2014