Pakistani counterterrorism police seize 2 tons of explosives and arrest 3 in Karachi
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani counterterrorism police raided several militant hideouts in the southern port city of Karachi, arresting three suspects and seizing nearly 2 tons of explosives in an operation that officials said foiled planned attacks.
Bomb-making materials and detonators were designed to be used in attacks in the city. illegal Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group, Zulfiqar Ali Larik, a senior counter-terrorism official, and Ghulam Azfar Mahesar, deputy inspector general of police, told a news conference on Monday.
Larik said a vehicle loaded with explosives was ready for use and the materials were being transported from the southwestern province of Balochistan, where a separatist insurgency has raged for more than two decades. While he claims that the BLA is supported by India, New Delhi denies this claim.
Pakistan often Blames neighbor Afghanistan and rival India Supporting the BLA and the Pakistani Taliban, two groups that have intensified their attacks in Pakistan in recent years. In one of the deadliest attacks in March last year, BLA rebels killed 33 people, mostly soldiers, in an attack on a train carrying hundreds of passengers in Balochistan. Security forces killed 50 attackers and rescued the remaining passengers.
Mahesar said the raids were carried out jointly by the police and intelligence agencies. He said one suspect was initially arrested and information obtained during his interrogation led to the arrest of two other suspects. He said additional raids were ongoing to capture other escaped members of the network.
Baloch separatists have been waging an insurgency since the early 2000s, seeking greater autonomy and, in some cases, independence from Pakistan while demanding a larger share of the province’s natural resources. Authorities say the BLA is increasingly trying to use female attackers, apparently in an attempt to avoid detection.
Last week, police detained a young girl Authorities said the man was radicalized and recruited online by the BLA to carry out a massive suicide attack. No charges were filed against him after authorities determined he was the victim and not the suspect.
In 2022, a BLA-affiliated female suicide bomber killed three Chinese teachers near a university campus in Karachi. Over the years, the BLA has expanded its operations, regularly targeting security forces and civilians, including Chinese nationals working on multibillion-dollar projects tied to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
