Pakistani intelligence official shot dead

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Dec 28, IRNA -- Unidentified gunmen shot dead an intelligence official in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday night, officials said.

The official was identified as Sirajuddin, Assistant Director of the Intelligence Bureau, and was in-charge of the tribal areas section, police in the region said.

The gunmen fled after the incident, witnesses said.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Motives behind the incident were not clear and police said they are holding investigation. The police sources said that militants may be behind the attack as they routinely attack government officials.

In another development the security forces on Tuesday arrested a ring leader of the militants who had killed four intelligence officials in Punjab province last month, officials said.

Dr Arshad, leader of the banned extremist group ?Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’ was accused of kidnapping and killing of four intelligence officials in Chakwal district who had gone to trace the militants in the mountainous area.

Heavily-armed militants had fled after killing the intelligence officials. The security forces had been hunting him and succeeded to arrest him on Tuesday.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which has strong connections with al-Qaeda and Taliban, routinely attack the security forces and Shiite Muslims as well as other religious minority groups.

The group was also behind the 2009 attack on the army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, which had killed nearly 10 Pakistani soldiers.

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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30736654