KARACHI: Pakistan Rangers Sindh claimed to have killed three terrorists, two with ties to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in a gun battle late Wednesday night, a Rangers press release said.

Acting on information regarding the presence of "hardcore terrorists" in Lyari, the Rangers launched a surgical operation to arrest them.

The press release claims the terrorists resorted to firing at the sight of the Rangers troops. Three terrorists were killed when Rangers personnel fired back.

Hazrat Bilal, affiliated with the TTP Abid Macharh group was involved in six target killings, street crime and a grenade attack on a Sohrab Goth police chowki, the Rangers said.

Siraj Gul, also affiliated with the TTP, was known for blowing up schools in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, looting arms and ammunition trucks belonging to law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and the kidnapping of eight Frontier Corps personnel, the press release said.

Umer Rana, alias Laptop, was involved in four target killings in 2014 and conducting reconnaissance for various assasisnations, the Rangers said.

One Rangers man sustained injuries in the exchange of fire.

Weapons were recovered during the operation.

Background: Karachi operation

The Rangers are currently leading an operation against criminal elements in Karachi which completed two years in September this year.

The ‘operation’ against criminal elements in Pakistan’s commercial hub was initiated back in September 2013 after the federal cabinet empowered Rangers to lead a targeted advance with the support of police against criminals already identified by federal military and civilian agencies for their alleged involvement in targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion and terrorism in Karachi.

A high-level apex committee meeting chaired by the Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif on May 14, 2015 decided to implement effective policing and surveillance in the "vast suburbs of Karachi", to prevent what the military spokesperson said were "sneaking terrorist attacks".

The second phase of the Karachi operation was launched in early November. Rangers said terrorists, contract killers and their facilitators involved in attacks on LEA personnel "especially police, lawyers and witnesses" would be arrested during this phase, and that such elements would be eliminated.

Police sources have said that three elements — a political party, banned sectarian outfits and hired assassins — were responsible for the recent killings of the law-enforcers in the metropolis.

They also said that policemen were being targeted to undermine the perceived effectiveness of the Karachi operation since the number of targeted killings had dropped to one or two from 8-10 per day.

In late November, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan hinted that the security forces’ operation against criminals in Karachi would be expedited and pursued till its logical conclusion.