Wanted Pakistani Taliban commander killed in shootout with security forces

Pakistani security forces on Saturday killed a key commander of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who was involved in several terror plots, including a deadly attack on an ISI building in Punjab province.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in a statement said that it received a tip-off that some terrorists were hiding in the Chiniot area, some 200 km from Lahore, the provincial capital.

The CTD along with police raided their hideout in the early hours of Saturday.

“When the police surrounded the hideout the terrorists opened fire on them. The fire was returned and during the shootout, two terrorists were killed,” the CTD said.

One of the terrorists has been identified as Ghazanfar Nadim alias Khalid Habib, who was carrying a bounty of Rupees five million.

It said Nadim was the mastermind of a bomb attack on the ISI building in Faisalabad city, some 130 km from Lahore.

In 2011, a car-borne improvised explosive device exploded outside the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) building in Faisalabad, killing 25 people and injuring over 100.

“Nadim was a key commander of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the Punjab province. He was also involved in 11 major terror activities, including attacks on Shia Muslims in the country in which 50 people were killed,” the CTD said and added he had been absconding since 2011.

The CTD said that explosives and weapons in a large quantity have also been recovered from the terrorist’s hideouts.