KHAPLU, Gilgit-Baltistan: Pakistani security forces have killed a militant commander involved in an attack on a passenger bus in northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) last December, confirmed a senior government functionary in the region, who said the action was part of an intelligence-based operation.
Nine people lost their lives, while 21 others were injured when militants used firearms to target a bus on the Karakoram Highway that connects Pakistani cities with its border with China.
The bus was carrying passengers from Gilgit to Rawalpindi. The attack occurred in the Hudur area of Chilas district, causing the driver to lose control and crash into a truck, which caught fire immediately.
The GB official informed the operation took place in Darel Valley of Diamer district, a place where extremist violence has been reported in the past, with some incidents claimed by the banned armed network Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
In 2018, militants torched 13 girls’ schools in the area, while six years before that, unidentified gunmen killed nine passengers and torched six buses in the region.
“The operation is still continuing against the culprits involved in the Hudur incident,” Faizullah Faraq, the official spokesperson for the GB administration, told Arab News on the phone. “The mastermind of the incident, Commander Shah Faisal, has been killed by the security forces today.”
He said the operation was planned after three facilitators of the militants targeting the bus were arrested and interrogated.
“They pointed out the culprits involved in the attack and said Commander Shah Faisal was the mastermind,” he continued. “So, the operation was launched today to arrest the culprits. However, they resisted and started firing at the security forces.”
Faraq said it was during the exchange of fire that the militant leader was killed.
“Cross-firing is continuing in the region,” he added. “The security forces have not suffered any loss of life. However, two army personnel got minor injuries, but their condition is stable.”
The military’s media wing, ISPR, has yet to issue a statement about the development.
Pakistani forces kill militant commander behind deadly Gilgit-Baltistan bus attack — official
https://arab.news/m528c
Pakistani forces kill militant commander behind deadly Gilgit-Baltistan bus attack — official
- Commander Shah Faisal masterminded the bus attack on Karakoram Highway that claimed the lives of nine passengers
- Gilgit-Baltistan spokesperson says two security forces officials got minor injuries during the intelligence-based operation
Saudi Arabia condemns deadly mosque bombing in Pakistan’s capital
- The Kingdom rejects targeting of places of worship, expresses solidarity with Pakistan
- Saudi foreign ministry offers condolences to victims’ families, wishes injured recovery
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia on Friday condemned the suicide bombing that targeted a mosque in Islamabad, expressing solidarity with Pakistan after the attack killed and injured dozens on the outskirts of the capital.
The blast, which struck during Friday prayers, killed at least 31 people and wounded more than 160 others, according to Pakistani authorities.
In a statement issued by its foreign ministry, Saudi Arabia denounced the targeting of a place of worship and rejected all forms of violence and extremism.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist bombing that targeted a mosque in the capital of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Islamabad,” the statement said.
It added that the Kingdom stood firmly against attacks on civilians and places of worship and reaffirmed its support for Pakistan in confronting militant violence.
The ministry also extended condolences to the families of those killed and expressed sympathy with the Pakistani government and people, wishing the wounded a speedy recovery.
No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which Pakistani officials say is being investigated.
