Karachi: Terrorist outfits al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi are hiring militants of the defunct Harkat-ul-Mujahideen al-Alami (HuMA) – who are mostly Karachi-based – and planning attacks on major important installations in the city, The News learnt on Sunday.
The home department issued a letter to police and Rangers a few days informing them that “during the interrogation of some recently apprehended high-value terrorists, it was learnt that on the directives of AQIS and the Tehreek-s-Taliban Pakistan, they had gathered information about some important installations and targets in Karachi, but the attacks could not be carried out because their leaders were arrested”.
The targets were American employees of an oil refinery in Keamari, the US consulate Saddar division, the Sindh Assembly building, the Police Club, the residence of senior police officials, Rangers vans, police check-posts.
The law enforcement agencies were directed to take stringent security measures to prevent these attacks.
Separately, an intelligence agency informed the Sindh IGP through a letter that “AQIS, the TTP, the Jamaatul Ahrar and the LeJ are planning to attack counter terrorism department official Raja Umar Khattab”.
Talking to The News, Khattab, the CTD’s anti-transnational terrorists intelligence group chief,, said continuous operations against banned outfits had resulted in a decrease in terrorism-related cases and many key terrorist leaders including Naeem Bukhari of the LeJ and Farooq Mussana of AQIS had been arrested.
However, he added, a cell of AQIS still existed in Karachi and operating in small groups as after the Operation Zarb-e-Azb in the tribal areas, their network had been dismantled and now they were showing their presence by attacking Rangers, police and schools.
“But that doesn’t mean that they will be unable to carry out major attacks. But if the crackdown against them continues, such attacks can be prevented.”
Khattab said presently the nexus of AQIS and LeJ was operating in Orangi, North Karachi, Orangi Town, North Nazimabad, Korangi, Shah Faisal Colony, Buffer Zone and their other adjoining areas.
He added that it was necessary to strictly monitor the activities of many suspects, who had links with these banned outfits and were on the fourth scheduled.
The official said in Karachi, AQIS and the LeJ were hiring militants of the defunct HuMA as its members were mostly Karachi-based.
He added that after the arrest and killing of AQIS commanders working under Asim Omer, the outfit’s network had been affected and the TTP too had internal rifts, making it hard for them to carry out attacks, raise funds and engage in other nefarious activities.
Khattab said there had been a major decrease in sectarian killings in Karachi, but AQIS militants were trying to ignite tensions and violence by killing people belonging to different sects.
He said there was no actually presence of Daesh in Karachi, but the whole chain of militants involved in the Safoora Goth bus attack had been arrested. He pointed out that the Safoora Goth attackers were not members of Daesh but inspired by the organisation.
The official noted that a few similarities were seen among like-minded militant groups which had targeted the police officials and media houses in Karachi and the cities of Punjab.
Khattab said after the arrest and killing of LeJ chief Malik Ishaq and Usman Kurd, the arrest of Naeem Bukhari and Farooq Mussana, and its leader Asif Chotu also believed to be behind bars, the terrorist outfit was without leadership and it network had been dismantled.
“Presently in Karachi, LeJ activists are holed up in slum areas and working as ‘detonators’ who can be used at some stage,” he added. http://thenews.com.pk/print/103311-AQIS-LeJ-hiring-militants-of-defunct-HuMA-in-Karachi
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