Pakistan counter-terrorism wing claims to defang IS-K in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Pakistan counter-terrorism department (CTD) in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa claimed that it dismantled the network of the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) terrorist group in the northwestern province.

Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar on Wednesday, a top Pakistan CTD officer said IS-K had started becoming active in the province after May this year, Dawn newspaper reported.

The group wanted to sow fear and disrupt investments in the province by attacking police personnel and the polio security staff, DIG CTD Javed Iqbal said. But the counter-terrorism department thwarted the IS-K's plans to carry out major terrorist attacks in the province.

Javed Iqbal said CTD had carried out major operations against the group across the province during the current year.

He said that the counter-terrorism department arrested 599 terrorists and killed 110 others. Iqbal added the Peshawar police and CTD personnel, in a joint operation, recently killed three IS-K terrorists and arrested several others.

"Three IS-K related groups were busted in Peshawar and one in Bannu," he claimed.

The officer further said that they also arrested the terrorists who were involved in the Dasu suicide attack on Chinese engineers.

At least 12 people, including nine Chinese workers, were killed earlier this year when a bus carrying them fell into a ravine following an explosion due to a suicide attack.

( With inputs from ANI )