DERA GHAZI KHAN: Four suspected terrorists were killed in a shootout with police, while two high profile militants managed to flee in a raid on their hideout near Wadoor village late on Sunday, district police claimed.

The operation was jointly conducted by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), police and other law-enforcement agencies.

According to district police, a hideout of militants, allegedly linked to Al-Qaeda, was raided in the precincts of Sadar police station.

The militants reacted by opening fire on the raiding party, the police said.

‘Al-Qaeda commander’, his aide flee hideout

The police said that during exchange of fire between the two sides, four suspected militants were killed, while an alleged Al-Qaeda Sub-continent commander, Shoaib Cheema and his accomplice Hanif managed to flee the scene.

District Police Officer Ghulam Mubashar Maikin told Dawn that the four killed militants were involved in terrorist activities.

He said the dead militants were identified as Nasir Ameen of Faisalabad, Mohammad Tariq of Gujrat, Mohammad Usman of Gujranwala and Mohammad Salman of Lahore.

A CTD officer, Syed Siraj, said case No 93/15 had been registered with Multan police station of the department against six suspected militants under sections 302, 324, 353, 186, 148, 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), 7 of Anti-terrorism Act (ATA) and 13-2c, 2/65AO, 2015.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2015