ISLAMABAD: A day after the launch of Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, the Pakistan Army Thursday claimed to have killed two high-profile terrorists, including the mastermind of the Lahore suicide attack. According to security sources, Wajihullah alias Ahrar, a member of banned militant outfit Jammat-ul-Ahrar, was killed in artillery shelling on the Pak-Afghan border.
The other militant, Hikmat alias Qari Zubair, was said to be in-charge of a terrorist transit camp in Afghanistan. Both the terrorists were supported by a hostile intelligence agency. Earlier during the day, averting a major terror bid, security agencies conducted a targeted operation against the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar network led by Wahab Zakhbail in Killi Shah Karaiz near Loralai, Balochistan.
During the operation, the military’s media wing said, 23 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered. Reportedly, the IEDs were transported to the area by TTP elements to target law enforcement agencies’ (LEAs) vehicles and Loralai University buses carrying students.
Unlike previous campaigns, the latest operation’s focus would be on Punjab, which has long been ignored when it comes to fighting terrorism due to political expediency and other reasons. The federal government has already approved the request of Punjab for seeking deployment of over 2,000 Rangers in the province to carry out targeted operations against militant groups. The operation in urban centres is considered crucial for taking the continuing fight against militancy to its logical conclusion.
