Two militants killed in counter attack by Rangers

Officers were sitting outside their homes at the time of the attack.

KARACHI: Four alleged members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed during encounters with the paramilitary force on Sunday.

Two suspected members of the TTP were killed shortly after the banned outfit allegedly attacked three men including the police and Rangers near their residence in Rehmani Muhalla. The injured included a Rangers trooper Farooq, police head constable Sohail Dad and their neighbour, Omar Zada. Police officials said that Farooq had just returned from a vacation and was sitting outside his house with his friends when armed motorcyclists attacked them on Saturday night. They were injured and taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where Farooq and Zada died.

Following the attack, Rangers conducted a targeted operation on the hideout of the TTP located in Subhani Muhalla, Frontier Colony. A Rangers spokesperson alleged that when the culprits saw the Rangers, two militants tried to escape on a motorcycle and resorted to firing. The Rangers troops chased them and an exchange of fire took place near a graveyard in which both the militants were killed. He added that the said criminals were linked with the TTP and were involved in several attacks on law enforcement agencies.

Earlier on Saturday, the Rangers conducted an intelligence-based targeted operation. A Rangers spokesperson said that two wanted militants - Fauji Khan of TTP Mohmand Agency and Muhammad Jan of Bajaur Agency, who is a close associate of Bajaur militants' commander Abdul Rehman - were killed in Musharraf Colony. The spokesperson said they received training from Ghat Markaz Bajaur Agency.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2014.