CTD arrests IS suspects in Peshawar

PESHAWAR - The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Wednesday arrested suspected members of the militant Islamic State (IS) group from Qazi Kaley area of Peshawar.

While terming the captured militants as IS suspects for the first time, CTD Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Mian Saeed confirmed the arrests.

According to SSP Saeed, a man called Muhammad Farid recently joined the IS and was arrested during a raid in the area. Farid was allegedly involved in designing large-scale terror attacks and target killings.

Farid was involved in 32 target killings, including including those targeting police officials in various parts of Peshawar, and had also killed five women over allegations of prostitution in the city, SSP stated.

The arrested suspect had been trained in the Taba Toba area of Afghanistan in 2008, and his brother was also arrested in Afghanistan over his links to IS. Another brother of Farid's was killed in an encounter with security forces, SSP added.

The SSP claimed that Farid had disclosed the names of his companions.