Karachi: Pakistani security forces have killed the Al Qaida chief for Balochistan and south Punjab in the restive Balochistan province, the government said on Sunday.
Omar Abdul Latif was killed in a gun battle with security forces in the Chaghi district near the Afghan border Saturday night, provincial home minister Sarfaraz Bugti said.
Bugti said that Latif’s wife had also been arrested in the raid which was carried out on an intelligence tip off.
The wife of the Al Qaida commander was identified as Tayyaba alias Freeha Baji and Latif’s two children were also taken into custody for interrogation, Bugti said.
He said initial investigations showed that the Al Qaeda commander fled to Balochistan from Afghanistan eight months ago.
Latif was trying to set up an Al Qaida base camp and carry out terror attacks in the province and other parts of Pakistan, the minister said.
“He was linked to the subcontinent chapter of the Al Qaida,” he said.
Al Qaida set up a South Asia branch last year to counter the spread of the rival Daesh group, which controls a broad swathe of territory in Iraq and Syria.
In the past as well other high profile Al Qaida leaders and militants have been arrested in Balochistan.
