TTP claims killing of Pakistan Air Force officer in Islamabad

The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the killing of Pakistan Air Force Group Captain Asim Tariq in Islamabad on Sunday. The militant group identified the arrested suspect as Saad Abbasi, 22, and stated that its "Special Target Killers Unit" was behind the assassination. The TTP further released mobile video and CCTV footage that appears to refute the Islamabad police's initial account of the incident.

Police had reported that Tariq was shot dead after intervening to save a woman from an alleged abduction attempt. According to this narrative, the officer stepped in, allowing the woman to escape, before being fatally shot by the assailant. However, footage shared by pro-TTP social media accounts shows a woman riding on a motorcycle with the accused, casting doubt on the police's version of events.

Sources indicated that Tariq was attached to an intelligence directorate that recently provided coordinates for a drone strike in Afghanistan, which resulted in civilian casualties. He was also reportedly involved in a Pakistani operation retaliating for a previous attack. The arrested suspect, Abbasi, has been charged with murder and terrorism and remanded into judicial custody.