Rangers attack in Karachi planned, facilitated by Afghanistan-based terrorists: police

Police on Tuesday said that the deadly attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi last month had “backing from Afghanistan”, where the terrorists had been trained.

On the night of June 27, terrorists attacked the local headquarters of the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar area, during which three security personnel were martyred and four were injured, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

ISPR said the attack was carried out by terrorists “belonging to Indian proxy Jamaatul Ahrar” (JuA), adding that three terrorists were killed in retaliatory action while one was arrested, whom it identified as an Afghan national.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday alongside Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, City Senior Superintendent of Police Irfan Bahadur detailed the involvement of elements from Afghanistan in the “entire planning” and execution of the attack.

Lanjar also said, “All their (terrorists’) handlers were guiding them from Afghan soil that maximum damage should be done in the city and that Karachi’s peace be sabotaged by taking people hostage and public terrorism be spread.”

He added that after the incident, law enforcement agencies (LEAs) “discovered a network of facilitators involved in the attack through a comprehensive effort”.

Providing details on the attack, SSP Bahadur listed the “four phases” of carrying out the attack: “First of all, the planning and training of terrorists in Afghanistan. Secondly, four Afghan terrorists being taken from Afghanistan to Karachi.”

The SSP added that there was “backing from Afghanistan to run the facilitator group in Karachi”, while also giving them instructions “till the last stage from Afghanistan”.

“And lastly, the provision of weapons, ammunition and suicide jackets to terrorists,” he said.

The SSP identified the suicide bomber as Janaan, who was a resident of Afghanistan’s Farah province. Another terrorist was named Bilal alias Hadi, who was born in Bajaur and later moved to Kandahar across the border.

The senior officer named the third terrorist, who was killed, as Umer Farooq, a resident of Afghanistan’s Kunar. The attacker who was arrested in an injured condition was identified as Usman Sher Mohammad, hailing from Nangarhar.

More to follow ...