Intelligence agencies prevent major terrorist attack on Karachi's PAF Masroor Airbase

In a significant effort to thwart terrorist activities in Karachi, intelligence agencies foiled a deadly plan to target the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Masroor Airbase, as per sources within the intelligence service.

The officials stated that an Afghanistan-based commander of the Fitna al Khawarij was a mastermind of the complex plan. 

The government has designated the term "Fitna al-Khawarij" for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The terrorists planned to materialise the plot with the collaboration of nine, including five Afghanistan-based terrorists.

They entered Pakistan from Afghanistan with the intention of breaching the airbase through a pre-identified point. They wanted to seize the facility by destroying the aircraft and infrastructure. 

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The plot had been planned for thirteen months under the supervision of a senior Fitna al Khawarij leader operating from Afghanistan.  However, it was foiled after close monitoring of their movements by intelligence agencies. 

Officials further disclosed that the terrorists had taken up residence near PAF Masroor and were actively monitoring the base.

As the plot reached its final stage, intelligence agencies launched a swift, covert, and coordinated operation, leading to the arrest of suspects from various locations across the country.

The terrorists apprehended in the operation were also found involved in several previous attacks, including the November 2024 assault on Chinese engineers at Liberty Textile Mills in Karachi’s SITE area. 

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One of the arrested commanders is believed to be the mastermind of the operation.

Authorities disclosed that he is an expert in improvised explosive devices (IEDs), trained in Afghanistan, and had fought alongside the Afghan Taliban during their conflict with NATO and coalition forces.

Initial investigations revealed the involvement of hostile intelligence agencies in the incident, which are allegedly providing financial support and equipment to terrorist elements in an attempt to destabilize Pakistan.

Officials mentioned a similar failed terror plot in October last year, in which Fitna al-Khawarij and allied agencies conspired to sabotage a major international event in Islamabad.