TTP mastermind of Dasu attack killed in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist Muhammad Tariq Rafiq, believed to be responsible for the 2021 Dasu attack, has been killed in Afghanistan’s Kunar province.

Tariq, who is a member of TTP, was the main brains behind the suicide bombing that killed nine 13 people including Chinese workers near Dasu hydropower plant in the Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on July 14, 2021.

It is being reported that Rafiq, also known as Button Kharab, was also killed near Paich Dara, Kunar Province, Afghanistan.

The Pakistan authorities conducted thorough investigations of the incident and shared the findings with the Chinese side at every stage.

According to the Foreign Office, the network involved in the terrorist attack was supported and facilitated by RAW-NDS nexus in Afghanistan.

The planning for the terrorist attack was done in Afghanistan, with the provision of material support as well. The vehicle used in Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) attack was brought from Afghanistan to Pakistan, stated FO.

Last year, an anti-terrorism court in Abbottabad handed over death sentences to two accused in Dasu Hydro Power Project (DHPP) terrorist attack case identified as Muhammad Hasnain alias Zawan Mama and Muhammad Ayaz alias Janbaz.

He was reportedly given the ‘Button-Kharab’ alias because he was blinded in one eye due to an explosion during a botched attack in the past.