Investigators suspect LeJ hand in killing of Army, Rangers and police in Karachi

Similarities in modes of sectarian killings and killing of security personnel indicate that LeJ is carrying out all these attacks

Investigators have concluded that Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) taking the headline role in the killing of Army, Rangers and local police personnel in the city.

Investigators say the LeJ is also carrying out sectarian killings and that the similarities between the mode of killing of law enforcers and those killed on sectarian grounds is striking.

As per details, the security officials investigating the killings of the law enforcers and those who were killed on sectarian basis from November 2015 till date observed commonalities in the mode of killing.

Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Anti-Transnational Terrorist Intelligence Group (ATTIG) chief Raja Umer Khattab said that the modus operandi used by the terrorists in the recent killing of law enforcers was almost the same, as most of them were shot in the head.

“It seems that a single group was involved in all these killings,” Khattab maintained.

“In other words, we can say that all terrorist organisations have the same strategy – to shoot the victim in the head – which means that the trainers of all the outlawed organisations are the same,” Khattab said.

The investigators claimed that the killing of two MI personnel on MA Jinnah Road on December 1, 2015; the killing of four Rangers personnel in Baldia Town on November 20, 2015; killing of seven policemen in Orangi Town in two brutal assaults on April 20 and killing of two traffic police personnel in Azizabad had one thing in common – they were mostly shot in the head.

LEJ, TTP ALLIANCE?:

“There is a strong possibility that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and LeJ are involved in all these incidents, but it’s possible that LeJ alone is carrying out all these activities in the city,” Khattab said.

“LeJ has a strong local network in Karachi which is capable of carrying out such activities regularly,” Khattab said. He said that the interrogation of the people associated with the TTP and LeJ revealed a liaison between the two terror outfits.

“LeJ does not have its spokesman that may claim responsibility of their terrorist activities, but it doesn’t mean that TTP is involved in all these incidents as they always take responsibility of every terror incident whether they carried it out or not.

“Another strong indication behind the LeJ’s involvement in the killing of Army, Rangers and police personnel is that there are similarities between the killing of law enforcers and those killed on sectarian grounds,” he said.

An investigator, who wished not to be named, claimed that the security officials had intercepted telephone calls earlier this year that were made from inside the Sukkur prison.

“Later, it was revealed that LeJ Sindh Chief Rasheed alias Ganji is operating the LeJ network from the Sukkur prison,” he added.

“We also suspect that the LeJ members, who were released on bail, are carrying out killing of law enforcers in the city,” he maintained.