KARACHI: Nine suspected militants, one of them allegedly involved in the murder of five personnel of Rangers and police, were shot dead in a reported encounter in Steel Town, off the National Highway, on Sunday afternoon.

According to officials, police raided a ‘hideout’ in Mian Khan Goth located behind PST oil terminal on information about presence of militants there. But the police party came under attack and in the ensuing encounter nine suspects were killed, Malir SSP Rao Anwar said.

He identified one of the deceased as Arif Ali, who he said belonged to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. He was wanted in cases of killing two Rangers personnel and three policemen in Quaidabad this year.

Police claimed to have recovered two SMGs which had been snatched by Arif and his accomplices from slain policemen and weapons and explosive devices.

The SSP said that a ‘few suspects’, including Irshad­ullah, who had recently atte­mpted to break the Karachi Central Jail, escaped.

He said the militants killed were also involved in a case of kidnapping of a man for ransom and the man had provided information about the hideout after his release from their captivity.

According to police surgeon Dr Jalil Qadir, police had brought nine bodies which were not identified in police papers. Five bodies were of men aged between 25 and 35 years and the sixth was of an elderly with white beard who “was not circumcised”.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2014