Al-Qaeda-linked commander killed in Pakistan: Police
Pakistani officials say they have killed an al-Qaeda-linked commander who was the main instigator behind a recent deadly bomb attack at a Shia mosque in the country’s south.
The blast that occurred on January 30 in the Shikarpur district of the southern province of Sindh left 61 Shia Muslims dead as hundreds of worshipers attended Friday prayers.
Abdur Razzaq Cheema, police chief for the city of Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, said on Monday that a government paramilitary force killed Usman Saifullah Kurd and one of his aides on Sunday on the city's outskirts.
Akbar Hussain Durrani, home secretary of Balochistan Province, also confirmed Kurd’s killing and said, “We have been chasing Usman Saifullah Kurd since a long time. We finally got him yesterday and he was killed in the exchange of fire.”
Kurd was a key commander of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) terrorist group, he noted, adding that the militant “was involved in the Shikarpur attack and many other major attacks in Sindh and Balochistan provinces, particularly against the Shia and Hazara communities.”
Two Pakistani soldiers also sustained injuries in the shootout with militants during the operation that was launched after security forces received a tip that Kurd was eating at a restaurant in Quetta.
The militant commander, who had escaped from a jail in 2007, was reportedly wanted in “about 34 cases.”
The outlawed group of LeJ has launched many attacks and bombings against Shia Muslims in the past several years.
The frequent incidents of violence against Shias in Pakistan have raised concerns in international organizations, while moderate Pakistani Sunni groups have described the issue as a conspiracy against the country.
The rise in such acts of violence has triggered many protest rallies.
On February 13, a total of 22 people were killed and dozens injured when several pro-Taliban gunmen opened fire on worshipers inside a Shia mosque in Peshawar and then blew up their explosives.
MR/NN/HRB
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