LEAs round up 87 suspects, recover stockpile of weapons in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Security Forces on Friday foiled a major terror plot in the province after recovering huge cache of arms and ammunition during two separate raids in the provincial capital and Khyber Agency area of Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

Police, army, elite forces and intelligence agencies conducted Intelligence Based Operations (IBO) after receiving tip-off about weapons stockpiled in Regi area of the provincial capital.

According to Senior Superintendant Police (SSP) Operations Peshawar Sajjad Khan, LEAs recovered 27 rocket mortars, 24 rocket shells, 17 hand-grenade bombs, 16 Kalashnikovs, 28 pistols and 17 rifles were recovered in the operation.

Separately, the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) conducted overnight raids in Khyber Agency and surrounding areas under political administration, rounding up at least 87 suspects during the raids in Shahgai, Ali Muhammad Banda, Neela Dorai and Mian Morcha areas of the tribal agency.

KHYBER-IV OPERATION

Khyber Agency is one of seven tribal agencies in Federal Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) sharing borders with Afghanistan.

Announcing successful completion of Khyber-4 operation in Rajgal Valley on August 21 (earlier this month), Director General Inter Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major Gen Asif Ghafoor said that 52 terrorists were killed and five arrested by the armed forces during the operation.

The operation was launched under Radd-ul-Fasaad, a countrywide anti-terror initiative launched by the military to wipe out terrorists. Operation Khyber-4 was aimed at securing the international border with Afghanistan by preventing Daesh and other local militants on Afghan side of the border from infiltration.