...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
following the launch of the military operation in North
Wazoo, the officials said.Acting on a tip-off, the police raided a suspected hideout of snuffies in Sohrab Goth.
On seeing the police, the alleged snuffies attacked the law enforcement agencies personnel with guns and grenades, damaging a police mobile of the Sohrab Goth DSP, Additional Inspector General of Police of Karachi Ghulam Qadir Thebo said.
In retaliation, the police bumped off three suspects, who appeared to be foreigners belonging to the banned the Tehrik Taliban Pakistain, he added. The police also detained 10 suspects, including a few foreigners, and found kaboom and arms and ammunition at the scene of the crime.
Sohrab Goth SHO Shoaib Ahmed told Dawn that contingents of the Malir police raided an alleged hideout of snuffies in Pioneer Homes off the Superhighway at around 2pm.
The police had received secret information that snuffies were hiding in a bungalow whose door was locked from outside.
He said that the suspects, whose number was stated to be 12-13, opened fire on the police in their bid to flee. The police retaliated and after a fierce shootoutrubbed out three alleged snuffies while the others managed to escape.
The bodies were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities.
According to a hospital official, the dear departed were aged between 30 and 35 years. One deceased received eight bullet wounds on different parts of his body while the two others sustained four bullet wounds each. Their identity could not be ascertained immediately.
The police claimed to have seized 20 kilograms kaboom, two kilograms kaboom in ready position, four hand-grenades, one rifle, one 9mm pistol, one 30-bore pistol, one cycle of violence and other ammunition.
The city police chief told Dawn that in the wake of the military operation against snuffies in North Waziristan and a possible threat to law and order in Karachi, the law-enforcement agencies had adopted a three-pronged strategy to meet any eventuality in the placid provincial capital.
Security had been enhanced at all vital installations, particularly establishments belonging to the police, Rangers and armed forces, who could be the prime target of the bully boys, he added.
Secondly, the rapid response force comprising 40 highly-trained police commandoes was established at zonal level of Karachi, who would respond to any emergency situation. Thirdly, Ghulam Qadir Thebo added, "previously, we were defensive, but now we are offensive against the bully boys." As part of the 'offensive strategy,' 'targeted operation' had been launched in militancy-infested areas of Karachi "to keep snuffies on the run so that they would not be in a position to attack".
Therefore, over the past three days, more than a dozen suspected snuffies had been killed in the metropolis during different encounters, added the city police chief.
He admitted that threat or retaliation from the Taliban could not be ruled out.
In fact, he added that suspected snuffies on Saturday had targeted a police checkpoint in Gulshan-e-Maymar with kaboom. The post was destroyed along with a parked cycle of violence of a policeman.
Replying to a question, Mr Thebo said that they had received intelligence reports in the wake of the military operation in North Waziristan that snuffies in Karachi might try to create chaos and a hostage-like situation and since there was an alleged nexus between the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ...
and the Taliban, therefore, the Shia community might be a target. However,
Switzerland makes more than cheese...
he added that the prime target of the snuffies would be the police and law enforcement agencies.
Earlier on Friday morning, five suspected snuffies were rubbed out after a fierce shootout between the police and Rangers and snuffies in another militancy-infested area of Manghopir in which three Rangers personnel were also maimed.
Separately, two more snuffies were killed in 'encounters' in Kalakot area of Lyari
...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot....
and SITE areas of the city on same day.
On Saturday, three TTP men were rubbed out in an 'encounter' in Steel Town by the CID police in which one kidnapped doctor of Gulshan-e-Hadeed was also recovered.