KARACHI: Nine suspected militants, including a Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan group’s Karachi chief and one involved in the killing of army soldiers, were shot dead in two separate alleged encounters in the metropolis on Wednesday, officials said.

The paramilitary force killed five suspected militants in Keamari early Wednesday morning while in the evening police killed four other militants in Sohrab Goth.

According to a Rangers spokesman, the paramilitary force on Wednesday morning received a call on Rangers helpline 1101 about the presence of militants in Keamari’s Tapu, an area located between the oil terminal and Shirin Jinnah Colony.

Acting on the information, Rangers personnel rushed to the place, where an encounter took place. After an exchange of ‘intense fire’, five militants linked with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Al-Qaeda were killed.

The Rangers official identified the dead as Mohammed Umar, alias Fahad alias Moon, stated to be chief of the Ilyas Kashmiri group of the TTP in Karachi. The others were identified as Anas Ahmed, alias Saqib, Abdul Rauf, alias Bilal, Javed Hasan, alias Yasin, and Talha Qaiser, alias Imran.

“They were involved in a suicide attack on a Rangers sector commander on Feb 14, 2014,” said the officer.

They were also involved in firing and hand-grenade attacks on Rangers and police mobile vans in Landhi and North Karachi. Besides, they were involved in high-profile targeted killing of professionals, bank robberies and kidnapping for ransom.

“Currently, they were planning to attack the Expo Centre during an event,” said the Rangers official.

The bodies were shifted to the Edhi morgue at Sohrab Goth after post-mortem examinations conducted at the Civil Hospital Karachi.

Sohrab Goth killings

In the other incident, in Sohrab Goth four suspects were gunned down in an encounter while eight others arrested, Malir SSP Rao Anwaar Ahmed said.

Acting on a tip-off, a raid was conducted in Ali Town off the Superhighway, where militants had been active. They had been sending extortion chits to people there and fired at those who refused to pay them extortion, added the officer.

One of the killed militants was identified as Qari Zubair, a member of the TTP. “He had slaughtered two soldiers of the Pak Army in Swat,” said the Malir SSP. He was wounded in a drone strike in Waziristan also. “He had come to Karachi to carry out terrorist activities when the police received secret information about his presence and conducted a targeted raid on their hideout,” said the officer.

The identity of three other militants could not be ascertained immediately.

Rao Anwaar said eight suspects were also detained during the encounter and their possible affiliation with any group or their involvement in criminal activities was being ascertained.

Police seized a Kalashnikov and three pistols from their possession, said Sachal SHO Sohail Awan. The bodies were shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2015

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