Two alleged terrorists arrested in Peshawar, explosives recovered
The raid was conducted near Jumma Khan Khwar in Nasir Bagh area.
PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – A day after terrorist attack on Agriculture Training Institute in the northwestern city of Peshawar, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has arrested two alleged terrorists near Jumma Khan Khwar in Nasir Bagh area of the provincial capital today (Saturday).
During the raid, CTD personnel recovered eight explosive sticks and a pistol. The suspects were also wanted in several cases of target killings.
ATTACK ON AGRICULTURE TRAINING INSTITUTE
Earlier on Friday, nine people were killed and dozens injured when burqa-clad Taliban militants stormed a training institute. At least three militants opened fire at security near the gates of the Agriculture Training Institute, killing one guard and injuring another before making their way inside and targeting the student accommodation.
Authorities said the gunmen had been killed and security forces had cleared the area after searching for remaining militants.
Police said six students, a security guard and two civilians were killed in the attack by the militants.
"All of them were wearing suicide vests but they were killed before they could blow themselves up," said Salahuddin Khan Mehsud, police chief of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
"All three terrorists are dead while we are trying to identify a fourth body," he added, following earlier reports there had been an additional gunmen.
Spokeswomen from two hospitals in the city said they had received a total of nine bodies and were treating some 38 injured, including several in critical condition.
ALSO READ: Agriculture Directorate closed indefinitely after attack, FIR lodged
During the onslaught on the training centre, a spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Muhammad Khurasani, claimed responsibility for the attack in a telephone call to AFP.
The area where the incident occurred is a hub for educational institutions in the city including the University of Peshawar.
The attack bore striking similarities to a 2014 Taliban massacre at the army-run school in Peshawar that killed 151 people, mostly schoolchildren.
Security in the area has improved drastically following the school attack after multiple military operations targeting militants in the nearby tribal belt largely succeeded in breaking insurgent strongholds and pushing fighters across the border.
However sporadic attacks continue to target security installations and civilians in the area.
with inputs from AFP
