PESHAWAR: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and security personnel have killed a suspected militant commander described by officials as the mastermind of the attack on Kohat Police Lines during a joint intelligence-based operation in the Lakki Marwat area.
Last month, in September, a group of terrorists associated with Fitna al Khawarij had stormed the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat which left 31 people, including 16 police personnel, dead.
According to an official operational report, the joint operation was conducted at around 2:30pm in the Frontier Region (FR) of Lakki Marwat by CTD Lakki Marwat and personnel of 57 Cavalry following intelligence about the presence of Mufti Zahid Gul, identified in the report as a commander associated with Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a faction of the banned Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as Fitna al Khawarij.
The report said Zahid Gul was the alleged mastermind of the earlier Kohat Police Lines attack and had escorted a vehicle linked to the attack to the police facility. It also accused him of involvement in several other militant activities.
According to the report, he was also present during a recent bank robbery in Bilitang, Kohat, in which Rs6 million was allegedly stolen. The report claimed the looted money was subsequently distributed among militant groups in Baka Khel and Jani Khel, in Bannu.
The report further alleged that Zahid Gul maintained close links with the HGB group and facilitated the movement of suspected suicide bombers to Kohat for attacks.
It added that around two months ago, he had brought a suspected suicide bomber for a planned attack on the new Kohat Police Lines, but the attack did not take place.
The report identified the PAF installation in Kohat and the Police Training School as his alleged intended targets.
Also Read: Fitna al-Hindustan Commander Killed in Tump, Balochistan
The claims regarding Zahid Gul’s alleged role in the attacks, robbery and planned targets were contained in the operational report and could not be independently verified.
