Lahore blast facilitator among 10 militants killed in CTD encounter

LAHORE: Ten terrorists involved in a suicide blast on Lahore's Mall Road were killed in an encounter with Counter Terrorism Department personnel in Manawan, sources told Geo News late Friday.

According to sources, the deceased terrorists were affiliated with the banned outfit Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. 

Arms, ammunition, and explosives were recovered during the encounter.

Days after the Mall Road blast in Lahore on February 13 that left at least 14 dead, CTD personnel apprehended an alleged facilitator identified as Anwarul Haq. Information shared by Haq helped the law enforcers to arrest other suspects.

Sources within the CTD said that Anwarul Haq was being taken to Manawan - a suburban area of Lahore - for recovery of explosives when nine of his accomplices ambushed the CTD team. In the ensuing exchange of fire, 10 terrorists were killed including the facilitators of the attack.

Pictured: Anwarul Haq, suspected facilitator of Lahore suicide bombing

The alleged encounter comes days after another attack on a van carrying census staffers in Lahore, which resulted in the martyrdom of six people and injuries to 15 others.

A spokesperson for the Punjab government confirmed that four military personnel were martyred in the bombing.

The spokesperson admitted that the province had been receiving reports of a possible terror attack. "We were informed of a high-level security threat on March 29 but the target was unclear."

However, the Islamabad-based Pakistan Bureau of Statistics promised to continue the data collection process as per schedule.