Islamabad police identify 198 suspected Ghazi force militants

ISLAMABAD: In an intelligence survey following the December 16 Peshawar school attack, the Islamabad police has identified 198 suspected members of the banned outfit, Ghazi force, which was formed following the 2007 Lal Masjid siege.

In a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, Islamabad police officials said that they carried out secret surveillance of 111 out of the 198 suspected Ghazi force members.

The police also identified addresses of 65 suspected members, out of which 53 were interrogated. The officials told the standing committee that the 53 individuals were no longer associated with the Ghazi force, and that their names were also being removed from the police's watch list.

Inspector General Islamabad Police Tahir Alam informed the committee that in the past three years, 247 cases of kidnapping were registered in the capital city.

He said that extremist elements were also involved in luring and abducting youngsters and taking them to Afghanistan for training.