DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Police arrested five suspects in a crackdown against banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan militants in remote areas of Kulachi tehsil here on Saturday.

Police sources said that the law enforcers rounded up five people accused of sheltering militants of TTP Gandapur group.

The sources said that the police acting on a tip-off raided the hideouts of suspected militants, but some miscreants, including Malang, Abubakar, Abdur Rehman, Umar Khitab and another whose name could not be ascertained, fled to a nearby jungle after exchange of fire with police which lasted for more than two hours.

District police officer Sadiq Baloch told mediapersons that police destroyed the hideouts and arrested five suspects for harbouring militants. They were shifted to undisclosed location for interrogation.

Sadiq Baloch said that TTP Gandapur group was behind the fresh violent incidents in the district.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2014