Police encounter: Four ‘militants’ killed

Encounter took place when District Malir police conducted a raid at a suspected militants' hideout in Quaidabad

KARACHI:

Four suspected militants were killed during an exchange of fire with the police in the city's outskirts.

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

"We raided the hideout on information received from militants in custody, whom we had taken to the raid for identification purposes," SSP Anwar told media at the site.



He said police faced indiscriminate firing during the raid, which compelled them [police] to retaliate. Anwar added that during the exchange of fire, two militants were killed, along with two of their in-custody companions, who were reportedly killed by the firing of their own comrades. "A total of four militants - two at the hideout and two brought by the police - were killed," claimed the SSP. The policemen participating in the raid, however, were not injured in the attack. The officer said all four militants were members of banned sectarian outfit, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

"These terrorists were involved in sectarian attacks, as well as police killings in Karachi," he said, alleging that they were plotting a major terror attack in Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th,  2016.