KARACHI: Police claimed to have gunned down six suspected militants, including a close aide of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan chief Mullah Fazalullah in an encounter in the Saadi Town area on Saturday.

Malir SSP Rao Anwar said that a heavy contingent of district police cordoned off Ghazi Goth in Madina Colony off Saadi Town in Scheme 33 after receiving “credible information about the presence of militants in the area”.

He told reporters after the encounter, which took more than half an hour, that police were “informed the armed men were in their hideouts in the outskirt area. Our team was taking positions when it came under attack. Police retaliated and killed all six militants”.

Two of the suspected militants were identified as Commander Ahmed, who had suffered wounds in a drone attack in North Waziristan, and Commander Swati, said to be a close aide of Mullah Fazalullah.

“They were involved in attacks on Pakistan army personnel in Waziristan. The process was on for the identification of other four militants. They were all active members of the TTP and were involved in killing security personnel in Waziristan,” said the SSP.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2015

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