Taliban Planner Of Pakistan School Attack Killed In Gun Battle

The alleged planner of the deadly attack on an army school in Pakistan last week has been killed in a gun battle.

Security forces acting on intelligence information raided the Bara area Thursday night and engaged in an hour-long shootout with the Islamic militant, known only as “Saddam,” a top Pakistani government official in the Khyber tribal region said. Khyber borders the northwestern city of Peshawar.

Saddam was killed in the raid, but his six accomplices were injured and arrested, according to the head of Khyber police administration. Shah said local authorities now are interrogating the six captured militants.

Saddam helped plan the Dec. 16 attack– when militants strapped with explosives broke into the military-run school in Peshawar, killing 148 people, including 132 children. However, he was also involved in attacks on health workers giving polio vaccinations in the Peshawar valley.

Meanwhile, a suspected U.S. drone fired missiles at two compounds in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region Friday, killing at least seven Islamic militants. Four intelligence officials said the early morning strikes hit the compounds of the Punjabi Taliban and a group of Uzbek Islamic militants in the Shawal area of North Waziristan.

Two missiles struck the compound of the Punjabi Taliban in the village of Kund killing four militants, and the officials said the compound was being used as a training facility by the group’s commander, Qari Imran.

However, it was unclear whether Imran was also at the location at the time of attack, and all the officials all spoke on condition of anonymity.

A second drone-launched missile struck the compound just minutes later, hitting a group of Uzbek militants in the village of Mangrotai and killing three.