In a significant breakthrough, Muhammad Tariq Rafiq, the most wanted terrorist of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the mastermind behind the heinous Dasu attack, has been reportedly killed in Afghanistan.
Tariq, commonly known as Tariq Button Kharab, is believed to have met his fate in Paich Dara, located in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, on Tuesday.
Although Tariq’s body has not yet been recovered, the TTP has confirmed the loss of communication with their leader.
This significant development marks a significant blow to the TTP’s operations and comes as a relief to the international community, particularly China, as Tariq was widely regarded as the mastermind behind the devastating attack on Chinese engineers at the in 2021.
The tragic incident at the Dasu Hydropower Project, part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), shook the region, claiming the lives of 13 people, including Chinese engineers. The victims, Chinese workers on a bus en route to the construction site, were targeted in a suicide attack.
He is also known to have been involved in the attack on the Chinese language centre in Karachi in 2022 that was carried out by female bombers in collaboration with the Balochistan Liberation Army.
An official statement from Pakistani officials is yet to made.
