ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan arrested 11 Islamist militants involved in the March suicide bombing that killed five Chinese engineers. The attack occurred in the northern part of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s counter-terrorism chief Rai Tahir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced this at a news conference.
Eagle Eye Monitoring :
🔺𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦 (𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚) 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟔
— (Thread🧵)🔺#Pakistan has provided evidence showing that the TTP, operating from… pic.twitter.com/vU6cSQXej7
— Eagle Eye (@zarrar_11PK) May 26, 2024
The suicide bomber drove a vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a dam in northwest Pakistan in March, killing five of the engineers and a local driver.
The arrested men belong to local Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This is an umbrella group of dozens of Sunni Islamists and sectarian militant groups.
The TTP aims to overthrow the government and replace it with a harsh brand of Islamic law.
Tahir said a cellphone used by the suicide bomber to communicate with his local handlers led to the arrests.
The investigation and evidence show the militants had been taking instructions from TTP leaders in Afghanistan, he said.
“We have forensic evidence to prove that the TTP militants who were operating from Afghanistan are involved in it,” added Naqvi. Kabul had been asked to help arrest three key members of the TTP who directed the attack, he added.
“We want Afghanistan to act against these terrorists. Either try them there or hand them over to us,” said the minister.
Pakistan’s army had earlier said the attack was planned in Afghanistan, and the suicide bomber was an Afghan.
The Taliban regime in Kabul denies these charges. The TTP too has denied involvement.
Kabul previously said rising violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue for Islamabad.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have soured in recent months. Islamabad says Kabul is not doing enough to tackle militant groups targeting Pakistan.
(REUTERS)
