Peshawar raid: ‘Islamic State KP chief’ among two killed

PESHAWAR: At least two alleged Islamic State (Daesh) terrorists including its Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief Arif alias Khalil alias Abuzar were gunned down, while five law enforcement agencies’ personnel sustained injuries in an exchange of fire between the terrorists and the law enforcing agencies in Peshawar.

On a tip-off, the security forces accompanied by police personnel conducted a search operation at flour mills located in Peshawar early Saturday morning, where the terrorists started firing at the raiding Party, leaving five personnel injured.

The personnel retaliated and gunned down two terrorists, while the remaining fled the scene. Three Police personnel and two Pakistan army personnel sustained injuries.

Talking to media personnel in Peshawar, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Muhammad Tahir Khan said that the terrorists killed in an operation in Shahpor Chamkani area were planning to carry out an organised attack.

The operation was conducted jointly by police and the Pakistan Army on a tip-off, said Peshawar’s Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Tahir Khan while talking to reporters, adding, hundreds of policemen and army soldiers participated in the raid. “The gun battle lasted for six hours in which two terrorists were killed,” the CCPO added.

The CCPO informed the reporters that the terrorists were affiliated with the terrorist organisation Islamic State and had completed their preparations for terrorist attacks in the city with the help of videos of their intended target sites.

“They were planning to target an Eidgah on Eid. It’s a major success that the security forces have foiled their plans,” the CCPO added.

The personnel recovered huge cache of weapons, explosives, 600 detonators and a map of city’s sensitive areas/installations from their possession.

The search operation is underway for the arrest of accomplices.

Whereas, SP Furqan, while speaking to a private media outlet, confirmed that one of the terrorists killed in the operation was Arif. “He [Arif] was an important commander of the Islamic State in K-P,” he added.

The policemen injured in the shootout were, identified as SHO Gulbahar Omar Khan, Anti-Terrorist Squad Inspector Ziaullah and constable Arshad, admitted to the Lady Reading Hospital.

The terrorists were using residential quarters in the abandoned flour mill which was closed for the past decade, said the police.

Five women were also living there including Arif’s wife and four children.

Arif—a seasoned militant who was previously affiliated with the Haqqani network and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Darra Adam Khel and Mohmand fatcion—was the head of Islamic State in KP.

He had joined Islamic State around two years ago and set up its organisational structure in KP and FATA.