Flour mill in Peshawar was being used as Daesh HQ

PESHAWAR: A flour mill in the suburbs of the provincial capital where two key militants were killed during an encounter in June was functioning as the headquarters of Daesh for the last many months, a source said.

A top commander of the group Khalil and one of his accomplices were killed while five security personnel were wounded in the encounter. Police and army had jointly carried out the operation.

The source said the group was involved in the killing of three policemen in Chamkani a few days before the operation. Police in retaliation had killed one attacker in Chamkani incident, who was later identified as  militant commander Mustafa.

The source said that the flour mill that had been abandoned for the last 15 years was also being used for issuing press releases and other literature of Daesh.  Police killed three members of the ring in two actions while many facilitators were also held. Police had also held the owners of the mill for negligence on their part. They were, however, later released on bail.

According to senior police officers, the group was involved in around 20 target killings of police and other security personnel as well as other major terrorism incidents in the last couple of years.

The watchman of the flour mills who was using it for militant activities was arrested by the Counter-Terrorism Department a couple of years back from where he was
sent to Central Prison Peshawar. Days before the June operation, the watchman was deported to Afghanistan after imposing a fine of Rs5,000 on completion of his sentence.