Pakistan: Banned outfit TTP warn of more attacks against police after storming Karachi Police Office

Islamabad [Pakistan], February 19 (ANI): Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has warned of more attacks in Pakistan after storming the Karachi Police chief’s office on Friday evening, reported Business Recorder.

“The policemen should stay away from our war with the slave army, otherwise the attacks on the safe havens of the top police officers will continue,” TTP said in an English-language statement on Saturday.

“We want to warn the security agencies once again to stop martyring innocent prisoners in fake encounters otherwise the intensity of future attacks will be more severe, ” it said.

The hours-long combat on Friday between terrorists and law-enforcement agencies — comprising Pak Army Special Service Group (SSG), Pakistan Rangers Sindh & Sindh Police — at the Karachi Police Office located at Sharea Faisal left four people killed and 19 injured, as per the report in Dawn.

All three terrorists belonging to the banned group TTP were killed.

Karachi Police office was attacked on Friday at 7:10 pm, while police and Pakistan Rangers personnel cleared the five-story building in phases, finally sweeping the entire office by around 10:46 pm.

The police are often used on the frontline of Pakistan’s battle with the Taliban and are frequently a target of militants who accuse them of extra-judicial killings.

Last month, more than 80 officers were killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest at a mosque inside a police compound in Peshawar, sparking criticism from some junior ranks, who said they were having to do the army’s work, reported Business Recorder.

Notably, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s administration wished to resume talks with the TTP. By the time the second round of discussions began in February 2022, the government had already freed at least 100 TTP detainees.

However, no progress was made towards reaching a peace accord with TTP and the banned outfit called off its ceasefire on November 28.

Since then Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terrorism, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but also in Balochistan and the Punjab town of Mianwali, which borders KP. Terror attacks have also reached as far as Islamabad and Karachi.

The Karachi terror attack occurred after a deadly suicide attack at a Peshawar Civil Lines mosque that left 84 dead, reported Geo News.