KARACHI: Five suspected militants were gunned down by law enforcement agencies in an alleged encounter in Malir district on Tuesday.

While previously such ‘encounters’ were mainly restricted to district west -- where the Taliban are said to wield influence -- the second such ‘encounter’ in Malir district within a month indicated an expansion in the scope of operations by law enforcement agencies in Karachi following the launch of the military operation in North Waziristan.

Tuesday’s encounter took place in Gulshan-i-Buner, a militancy-infested locality of Quaidabad.

According to Malir SSP Rao Anwaar, acting on a tip-off contingents of police encircled the suspected hideout of militants near Waziristan Chowk and, in an ensuing encounter, five suspected militants were gunned down.

He said the law enforcement agencies had reports that the militants visited the place and based on credible information about the presence of the militants, the raid was carried out.

He identified one of the dead as Javed Mehsud, alias Umer, who was allegedly involved in the killing of police and Rangers personnel besides civilians. SSP Anwaar added that another dead was identified as Irfan, a resident of Sohrab Goth.

Quaidabad SHO Irfanullah Marwat said 400 policemen, including 200 police commandos, took part in the operation at around 12noon which continued for two hours. He claimed that since highly trained policemen were involved in the action, no security personnel was wounded in the two-hour operation.

Policeman shot dead in Quaidabad

The SHO claimed that Javed, alias Umer alias Jawad alias Gulsher, was a local commander of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (Wali Rehman group). He was allegedly wanted in 50 criminal cases, including murders. He said he believed that Javed was involved in the killing of Rangers personnel Ilyas Khattak, 10 policemen, a lady health worker in Gulshan-i-Buner and other cases.

The police also claimed to have seized a bomb-making factory, 25 kilograms of explosive material, hand-grenades, motorbikes, six tennis ball bombs, arms and ammunition. The bodies were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where identity of the remaining three dead was yet to be ascertained.

By appearance, the dead were Pakhtun. They were aged between 25 and 30 years. They all sustained multiple bullet wounds caused by high-velocity shells, said police surgeon Dr Jalil Qadir. He added that two of the dead had beards and the other three just stubble.

On July 2, District Malir police claimed to have killed four suspected militants in an alleged encounter in Ali Abad off the Superhighway in Gadap City, in a sign of acceleration of operation against suspected militants. Later on, it emerged that two of the dead persons were brothers, resident of Old Golimar, and the family claimed that they had nothing to do with militancy. They had planned to go to Iran when they were allegedly taken away and killed in a ‘staged’ encounter, their relatives said.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2014