Police kill three al Qaeda militants in Karachi

Police also recovered weapons and explosives from the hideout, says SSP Rao Anwar

KARACHI: Police killed three al Qaeda militants during a gunfight in Karachi on Sunday after raiding their hideout, officials said.

The skirmish took place in Gulshan-e-Buner, a low-income neighbourhood in the city, when police were searching the area after receiving a tip-off that militants were hiding there, senior police official Rao Muhmmad Anwar told AFP.

"When police reached an area near a hill, terrorists started firing on them and in retaliation three militants were killed," said Anwar, adding that the militants belonged to the al Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent branch.

Police also recovered weapons and explosives from the hideout, he added.



One of the militants was identified as Riaz Raju, who was wanted over the killing of policemen and murders of Shia Muslims in Karachi, Anwar said.

Two other policemen confirmed the raid and casualties.

“A huge cache of explosives, suicide jackets, arms and ammunition were recovered from possession of the terrorists,” he added.

Earlier in April, four suspected militants were killed during an exchange of fire with police in the city’s outskirts.

The encounter took place when District Malir police, led by SSP Anwar, conducted a raid at a suspected militants’ hideout in Quaidabad area.