LAHORE: Five alleged terrorists belonging to the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed in an encounter with the police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Nankana Sahib on Friday night.

According to officials, the CTD was told by an informer that seven or eight members of the groups were in Faizabad town and were planning to attack law enforcement agencies’ personnel to avenge police action against terrorist organisations.

Also read: Four ‘militants’ killed by CTD, police

A team surrounded the village where the men were hiding. When the suspects came on the road, the personnel ordered them to surrender but they opened fire.

After crossfire, the five suspected terrorists were found dead, while the others escaped.

Police found explosives, Primacord, Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol and some documents at the scene.

A police official claimed that documentary evidence about a big terrorist plot had been unearthed.

According to sources, the dead suspects included Awais Asif of Rahimyar Khan, who was wanted in several cases of targeted killing in south Punjab and bomb explosions in his town. He was said to be a hit man associated with Malik Ishaq, the slain LeJ chief.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2015