Female suicide bomber arrested, militant network exploiting girls busted

QUETTA: Pakistani security agencies said that they disrupted a militant network that allegedly exploited young girls for sexual and psychological abuse while attempting to recruit them for suicide attacks, officials said.

Authorities arrested a female suicide bomber, preventing a potentially large-scale attack, and uncovered allegations against a network recruiter identified as Dr Sabiha, who is accused of manipulating teenage girls.

In a confessional statement, a girl identified as Laiba – known locally as Farzana – said she was approached last July by TTP commander Ibrahim, also known as Qazi, who tried to groom her for a suicide attack.

She said she was later introduced to Dr Sabiha through an intermediary named Dil Jan and pressured to recruit other girls for militant activities.

“I was manipulated and exploited, both mentally and personally, and pushed toward extremism,” Laiba said in her statement addressing a press conference along with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti in Quette.

She said that she was ultimately arrested in Khuzdar before carrying out the attack.

Security officials said that the network exploited vulnerable girls, using sexual and psychological abuse to coerce them into participating in militant operations.

The arrests and confessions mark a major success for Pakistan’s counter-terrorism agencies in preventing attacks and dismantling recruitment networks that target young women, the said.