198 terrorists arrested in Punjab combing operation

LAHORE: Security forces arrested 198 terrorists in combing operation in Punjab from December 2014 to August 11, 2016, according to police records, Geo News reported.

Police nabbed 198 terrorists belonging to banned organizations from different cities across Punjab during the period, records showed.

Nine al-Qaeda terrorists were arrested, of whom five were caught in Lahore and four in D.G. Khan. 13 of the arrested terrorists belonged to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

176 of the terrorists caught were from Lashkar-e-Jahngvi, the most from any organization. 94 of these were arrested in Bahawalpur.

No terrorist from Daesh was arrested in Punjab, police said.

The ISPR had said earlier this month that combing operations will be conducted till terrorists are arrested and their hideouts eliminated.

Following the deadly attack at Quetta's Civil Hospital, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif had ordered special combing operations, authorising intelligence agencies to go anywhere in the country and target those linked with the terror acts.