Ex-PAF officer turned jihadi Adnan Rasheed possible mastermind of Karachi airport attack

A former officer of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), who now heads a lethal fidayeen unit of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), could be the possible mastermind of the June 8 terror strike on the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

According to a report filed by The News, Adnan Rasheed, the mastermind of a 2003 assassination attempt on General Pervez Musharraf in Rawalpindi, is being cited as the person behind the attack on the airport three days ago.

It maybe recalled that Rasheed was freed in an unprecedented jailbreak episode on April 15, 2012 when around 200 Taliban militants armed with guns, grenades and rockets attacked the high-security Central Jail of Bannu.

He is said to be the chief operational commander of the Ansarul Aseer or the Helpers of the Prisoners, a lethal fidayeen unit of the TTP,whose stated mission is to secure the freedom for imprisoned jehadis by conducting jail break operations.

The attack on the Karachi Airport was executed by ten heavily armed Taliban fighters, including some Uzbek nationals belonging to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), which has become an integral part of the TTP due to the unique guerrilla skills of its militants.

All 10 Taliban fighters and other 18 people, including 11 security personnel and four airport workers, were killed during the fighting which lasted for at least six hours.

While Pakistani officials claimed that the Taliban sought to destroy the airplanes at the terminal, TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said the Taliban had planned to hijack the aircrafts and use them for hitting targets at another place.

Another TTP leader said the Karachi airport was considered to be one of the most secured installation in the country and the June 8 attack gives a very clear message to the civilian and khaki leadership that no place in Pakistan, no matter how secure it is, was beyond the reach of the Taliban.