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KARACHI:
An injured terrorist arrested following the attack on a Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, camp in Karachi has claimed that he and his accomplices entered Pakistan from Afghanistan after receiving training there, admitting that the banned Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) planned and coordinated the operation from across the border.
According to sources, the suspect, during interrogation, identified himself as Usman Ali, and said he had travelled from the Jalalabad region of Afghanistan with three associates – Abdul Hadi, Janan and Umar Farooq – to carry out the attack.
Usman claimed Abdul Hadi was killed during the operation, while Janan threw the bomb at the Rangers camp. He also said the group crossed into Pakistan seven days before the attack and stayed with Abdul Hadi, whom he described as a resident of Bajaur.
They were allegedly sheltered in an under-construction building before carrying out the assault. Usman claimed the weapons used in the attack had been brought from Waziristan by Abdul Hadi, who was also familiar with the area and had previously operated in Karachi.
He told the interrogators that he was shot while attempting to flee during the security forces’ retaliatory action. During interrogation, the suspect identified himself as a member of the banned JuA and claimed the group’s commander based in Afghanistan was known as “Ahrar Maulvi Sahib”.
According to the suspect, they were trained to manufacture suicide vests themselves and had received instruction from a trainer identified as Umar Qari. He also claimed that all logistical arrangements for the Karachi operation had been finalised in Afghanistan before the group’s arrival in Pakistan.
Security analysts said the disclosures pointed to continued cross-border operational networks allegedly involving militants based in Afghanistan. They added that the interrogation supports Pakistan’s longstanding position that militant groups continue to use Afghan territory to plan and facilitate attacks inside Pakistan.
They said Pakistan had repeatedly shared what it described as credible evidence of cross-border terrorism with the interim Afghan Taliban authorities and had consistently urged Kabul to take effective action against militant groups operating from Afghan soil.