Four Rangers personnel were killed on Friday in the deadliest attack on the paramilitary force in the city this year with a senior anti-terrorism police officer warning that terrorists belonging to banned outfits were regrouping on the outskirts of the city. The killings brought the toll of Rangers Jawans to six in terror attacks this year in Karachi, where the paramilitary force has been spearheading a targeted operation since September 2013 to end heinous crimes. The four troops, identified as Qasim Ali, Shahdat Ali, Ashfaq and Akhtar Ali, were on duty at the Abu Huraira Masjid and the adjacent Madrassa in the Ittehad Town police remit and the Friday prayers were about to end when three gunmen on two motorcycles opened fire on them. While escaping from the scene, the gunmen also fired gunshots at the law enforcers’ vehicle, which was parked nearby. Meanwhile, in the KP town of Charsadda, two traffic policemen were killed in what police officials have dubbed a targeted attack believed to be linked to militants. In the third incident, two workers of a media house were injured when the offices of the organisation came under grenade attack in Faisalabad. Punjab counterterrorism officials had issued a warning that extremists linked to the militant Islamic State group would attack media houses in Lahore, as well as army and police targets elsewhere in Punjab. On the other hand, police officials in Karachi believe fighters from the banned TTP’s Swat chapter may be involved in the attack on the Rangers. The group has maintained an on-again, off-again presence in the Sindh capital, and appears to have struck when it found the ‘right’ moment. The Rangers have led the law-enforcement operation in Karachi that was launched in September 2013 and which has largely zeroed in on religiously as well as politically motivated militants, along with other violent criminals. Due to advance intelligence, security around media houses in Lahore had been tightened, which is possibly why the attackers turned their attention to Faisalabad. The lesson, then, from Friday’s incidents is that actionable intelligence can be critical in pre-empting or raising defences against terrorist attacks. Therefore, the military and civilian intelligence and security apparatus need to keep an ear to the ground to intercept militant communications in order to thwart future attacks. Moreover, the momentum against militant outfits must be sustained as these groups are far from neutralised.
pk.shafaqna.com
