Pakistan: 3 TTP terrorists killed in Karachi; A mastermind attack on Chinese citizens in 2024

Officials confirmed on Monday that three Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants were killed in an encounter with Pakistani security forces in Karachi. Among those killed were Zafaran, who was identified as the mastermind of the November 2024 attack on two Chinese engineers in Pakistan’s largest city. He gave a reward of 20 million rupees. CTD official Raja Umar Khattab told DawnTTP men set fire when they came to the security personnel and triggered a fire fighting, which lasted for more than an hour.Authorities recovered a suicide jacket, three grenades, a kalashnikov rifle, two pistols and a large amount of ammunition from the site.On November 5 last year, a private security guard set two Chinese citizens on fire at a textile mill in Karachi, injuring both before escaping. Pakistan has seen a sharp growth in militant attacks – especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan – Since TTP ended its ceasefire with the federal government in late 2022.Established in 2007, TTP is a umbrella organization of various extremist groups that demands to implement a strict version of Islamic law in Pakistan. This has claimed responsibility for several high-profile attacks, including 2008 Marriott Hotel Bombing in Islamabad, 2009 attacks on army headquarters and several attacks on security installations.