Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) terrorist involved in the recent killing of 15 migrants near Turbat was killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) near Alandur, Abdur Rehman village in Turbat, the army’s media wing said on Friday.

Younis Taukali, one of the eight top commanders of the BLF, was killed in an exchange of fire after the Frontier Corps (FC) cordoned off the area, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. Taukali was killed 20 kilometres west of Buleda and 25km north of where the bullet-riddled bodies of 15 migrants, mostly hailing from Punjab, were found on Wednesday. A number of human smugglers have been apprehended in a wide-ranging crackdown in Punjab since then.

The migrants had been looking to cross into Iran on their way to Europe.

The accused had also been involved in attacking FC convoys with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and was wanted for multiple murders, including that of Rehmatullah Shohaz, a founding member of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), the army said.

The Punjab Rangers, along with intelligence agencies, also conducted an IBO in Dera Ghazi Khan, during which four “terrorists and their affiliates” were apprehended, the army said. The alleged terrorists belonged to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and had been involved in attacks on police officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, police said. Automatic weapons and grenades were also recovered from the terrorists, the ISPR added.

Meanwhile, the FIA arrested another accused involved in Turbat killings and got three-day judicial remand of all the three arrested human traffickers on Friday.

Published in Daily Times, November 18^th 2017.