KARACHI: The Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, on Tuesday claimed to have killed six Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan suspects, arrested a wounded suspect and recovered a child who had been kidnapped for ransom during two separate raids conducted in the Mominabad area of Orangi Town.

The two raids conducted by the paramilitary force in Faqir Colony late Monday night and Al-Sadaf Colony early Tuesday morning were part of the ongoing search operations, the officials said.

Mominabad SHO Chaudhry Tufail said that a young man, identified as Tauseef Kamran, was caught in the crossfire. He said investigation was under way to ascertain the exact details of the incident. However, the Rangers spokesperson denied that any passer-by had been killed in the exchange of fire.

The paramilitary officials said the Rangers foiled a plan of the terrorists to attack the Malir cantonment and claimed to have seized seven suicide jackets, 76kg explosive material, ball bearings, eight ready-to-use improvised explosive devices, a magnetic IED, two SMGs, seven repeaters, three 107-rockets, three grenades, three rifles, three pistols, 37 mobile phones, one GPS, 100 SIM cards and 1,000 ‘primer’ cards.

Giving details of the late-night raid, Sachal Rangers Commander Brig Khurram told a press conference that the raid was conducted on the information provided by the interior ministry and the Sindh government on a house near Good Choice Model School in Faqir Colony, Mominabad.

When the troops encircled the home, the terrorists opened fire on them and also lobbed hand grenades, wounding one soldier of the paramilitary force, the officer said.

The officer said that the targeted actions were carried out over ‘credible information’ provided by the federal interior ministry and the Sindh government that the terrorists were planning a major terror attack in Karachi.

He said the suspects on seeing the personnel resorted to firing with heavy weapons and hurled hand grenades at them. When the Rangers retaliated, the terrorists destroyed the home by exploding an IED, with the result that three terrorists were killed while one terrorist was arrested in wounded condition.

Earlier, DIG-West Feroze Shah had told the media soon after the late-night explosion that a suicide bomber had blown himself up. The Rangers officer, however, claimed it was an IED blast.

During the house search, the officials seized two hand grenades, three rifles, three pistols, five IEDs in ready condition, 16kg explosive material, a suicide jacket containing around seven kilograms of explosive material laced with nuts and bolts.

Brig Khurram said the Rangers also conducted a raid on a house in Al Sadaf Colony early Tuesday morning on ‘credible information about the presence of terrorists and kidnappers’.

In an ensuing exchange of fire, two suspects were killed while another wearing a suicide jacket blew himself up, said the Rangers officer. The police said that a passer-by was also caught in the crossfire, but the paramilitary force spokesperson denied the death of any passer-by in the exchange of fire.

Later during a house search, the Rangers seized two SMGs, seven repeaters, three 107-rockets, one magnetic IED, three ready-to-use IEDs, one grenade, six suicide jackets, 60kg explosive material, ball bearings, 37 mobile phones, one GPS, 100 SIM cards and 1,000 ‘primer’ cards.

Brig Khurram claimed that the officials also recovered from the house a child, Fahad Mirza, who had been kidnapped 20 days ago from Baldia Town for ransom of ‘millions’ of rupees.

He disclosed that they also had received information that the terrorists were planning a rocket attack on Malir cantonment.An official at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital told Dawn that the Mominabad police had brought four bodies of young men to the hospital on Tuesday. One of them had died of injuries caused by explosive material, while the others had sustained bullet wounds, said the hospital official.

The Rangers did not disclose the identity of the deceased but said the suspects belonged to the outlawed TTP.

Meanwhile, the Rangers also claimed to have seized arms, ammunition and explosive material during a raid in Landhi.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2015

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