Suspected suicide bomber killed in Peshawar CTD operation

PESHAWAR: PESHAWAR: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Thursday foiled a major terrorist attack during an intelligence-based operation in Garhi Sherdad on Warsak Road, officials said.

The operation was launched after the CTD received intelligence about the presence of three suicide bombers in the area, according to the CTD.

During the operation, the terrorists opened fire on the CTD team, martyring Constable Muhammad Afaq.

Three other personnel were wounded in an exchange of fire with the attackers.

The CTD said its personnel mounted an effective retaliatory operation, killing one of the terrorists, while the remaining two fled the area.

A search operation is under way to track down the fleeing attackers, with its scope expanded and additional personnel deployed in the area, officials said.

The CTD said the suicide attackers were preparing to target a sensitive installation.

The area was cordoned off during the operation and drones were used for surveillance, according to the department.

Additional Inspector General CTD personally supervised the operation.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Zulfiqar Hamid and the additional IG praised the personnel involved in the operation.

The KP police chief said operations against militants would continue until terrorism was completely eliminated.

The development comes days after a deadly attack on the old Police Lines in Kohat, where an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a mosque during Friday prayers on September 18 before armed militants stormed the compound.

The ensuing attack and clearance operation left 21 people dead, including 17 police personnel, while more than 100 people were injured.

Eight attackers were killed during the subsequent clearance operation, which continued for about 21 hours.

Elite Force commandos, CTD teams and security forces took part in the operation to clear key sections of the Police Lines.

The Kohat attack was claimed by Ittehadul Mujahideen, an outfit linked to Afghanistan-based militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur.

The latest operation in Peshawar also comes amid heightened security concerns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where security forces have intensified counter-terrorism operations following a series of militant attacks.

On Thursday, security sources separately said that eight terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan. The sources said weapons, ammunition and other equipment were recovered and the militants’ hideouts were destroyed.