The notorious Lal Masjid in the heart of Islamabad is still producing terrorists, according to agencies probing the recent spate of attacks in the capital city.
The notorious Lal Masjid in the heart of Islamabad is still producing terrorists, according to agencies probing the recent spate of attacks in the capital city.
The probe has revealed the suspected role of Ghazi Force, a small but lethal militant group named after Ghazi Abdul Rashid, in the blasts in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Rashid, a fiercely pro-Taliban cleric, was killed in the 2007 military operation in the masjid.
In July 2007, commandoes of the special services group of the Pakistan army had carried out Operation Silence to eliminate the Lal Masjid Brigade, spearheaded by Ghazi.
The operation ended in the death of hundreds of people, including the commandoes, terrorists, students as well as civilians.
With Ghazi’s death it was believed that the masjid had been cleansed of terrorists, but }recent incidents have put it under the scanner again.
Intelligence agencies have found the involvement of students affiliated to the Lal Masjid-run religious seminaries like Jamia Fareedia in the recent violent incidents.
Investigations reveal that Niaz Raheem alias Bilal, the amir of the Ghazi Force, is a prime suspect in the terror activities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
The outfit has links with militants in Swat and the federally administered tribal areas. The investigators believe they have developed a nexus to execute terror attacks in both cities. They have identified key members of the Ghazi Force, including Muhammad Hanif of Kacha Malana in Dera Ismail Khan district, Muhammad Kamran of GPO Road in Peshawar, Dildar Khan from Kohat district, Bashir Ahmed of Mardan, Arslan Irshad of
Karachi and Farhan Saqib Abbasi from Islamabad.
(With agency inputs)
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