Pakistani security forces killed a senior leader of the Pakistani Taliban on the outskirts of Peshawar following a brief gun battle yesterday.
Additional details were provided by Pakistan’s AAJ TV:
According to the security officials, security forces were conducting a search operation in the Frontier Region of Peshawar near Mattani when they clashed with the militants, leaving one security personnel and two militants dead in the exchange of gunfire.
Officials identified the two key militant commanders as Rooh ul Amin and Adnan alias Hurera, both belonging to the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The report said that the operation follows a late night attack by dozens of suspected Taliban militants on a security check post at Shamshato area near Peshawar Frontier Region (FR), killing six Frontier Constabulary (FC) soldiers and leaving 12 others injured.
Further background on Rooh ul Amin and the clash that killed him was provided by Xinhua:
Commander Roohul Ameen, the Taliban chief in the area, was behind attacks on the security forces and members of the peace committee in the area. He was wanted by the authorities for attacks on the security forces.
Police sources said that three militants were also arrested. The security forces dynamited the house after the operation.
The security forces and volunteers expanded their operation to other areas and surrounded other hideouts of the Taliban militants, sources said. They said that another Taliban commander Changeez Khan had also taken shelter in a house and the operation has been started against him.
The Pakistani Taliban have since taken credit for Tuesday’s deadly ambush against a Frontier Corps checkpoint near Peshawar that left six Pakistanis dead and at least a dozen others injured. The Pakistani Taliban have increased their attacks against Pakistani security forces after vowing to avenge the death of one of their top commanders, Waliur Rehman, who died in a drone strike on May 29. [See LWJ report, Pakistani Taliban confirm death of deputy emir in drone strike.]
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3 Comments
if Droning the TTP is what it takes to ‘stir’ the ‘hornets nest’ then So Be It!
At last, some good news. This calls for another beer.
All the senior leaders live in Pakistan.