LAYYAH: The Counter Terrorism Department of Multan police claimed on Wednesday to have eliminated six militants during a raid at their hideout near Angora goat farm.

The operation was conducted in the jurisdiction of the Chobara police station.

A CTD official told journalists that law enforcers got information that some militants belonging to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al Qaeda had taken shelter in an area of Layyah and planned to target government offices and employees.

A CTD team of Multan police, he said, raided the hideout and asked the suspects to surrender but they opened fire at the police team and lobbed hand grenades. The raiding team effectively responded and after some time found six of the militants dead, he said, adding that they were shot dead by the firing of their accomplices. Two militants escaped in the dead of the night, he added.

The dead bodies were shifted to Layyah’s DHQ hospital for postmortem.

The CTD police recovered two hand grenades, two automatic rifles and other weapons.

Sources told Dawn that one of the deceased had his right arm amputated and was around 35 years old, while the other five were below 30.

A source in police claimed that two militants were Afghan nationals, while four others belonged to Fata.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2016