Karachi police on Saturday claimed to have killed five suspected militants linked with the militant Islamic State (IS) group in an ‘encounter’ on the outskirts of the city.

Separately, five suspects belonging to the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ) who were planning to assassinate a personality belonging to the Shia community were arrested, said Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Malir Rao Anwar Ahmed.

Acting on a tip-off, Sohrab Goth police conducted a targeted raid on an alleged militant hideout in Gharibabad near Ayub Goth off Superhighway. During the encounter that ensued, five suspects linked to IS were killed.

The Malir SSP said that they had received information from an intelligence agency about the presence of militants linked with IS.

One of the slain militants was identified as Qari Habibullah alias Abdul Salam Burmi.

“The killed militant was involved in targeted killings of police, armed forces, members of Shia community and Christian community,” said the SSP Anwar.

The SSP revealed that law enforcers had conducted a targeted raid on an alleged hideout linked with Al Qaeda in Qayyumabad in 2003 in which one militant hailing from Egypt was killed while Qari Habibullah was arrested along with other accomplices. Later on, he abandoned Al Qaeda and joined IS.

“He was involved in several terror acts”, including armed attacks on workers and women in Sohrab Goth in 2003, claimed Anwar.

The police claimed to have seized one 8mm rifle, one 9mm pistol and two 30-bore pistols from the hideout.

“Further investigation is underway,” said the police officer.

Five LJ militants held

Separately, Site Superhighway Industrial Area police arrested five suspects allegedly belonging to the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi.

The police had received intelligence that the LJ militants were present at a place near Superhighway and were planning to assassinate an important personality from the Shia community.

On Friday night, police carried out a raid and arrested five suspects, said SSP Anwar.

The held suspects were identified as Farhan Shaukat, Nasir Khan, Adnan Asif, Sardar Aijaz and Qaiser Saeed who allegedly belong to LJ.

The police claimed to have seized one 9mm pistol, four 30-bore pistols and two motorcycles from their custody.

The Malir SSP claimed that the father of one held suspect, Farhan Shaukat, is a sub-inspector in the police department while his (Shaukat's) brother is a police constable posted in the railways department.

Two brothers of another detained suspect, Adnan, were police constables posted at the anti-car lifting cell of police.

The third arrested suspect, Qaiser, was a watchman of a bungalow belonging to Karachi Port Trust.

During initial probe, the held militants revealed that their ringleader was Qari Amin who lived in Bhittai Colony near Korangi Crossing who “motivated them for jihad and carrying out targeted killings of members of Shia community”.

However, after killing of Qari Amin, Sardar Aijaz was appointed as local chief of LJ, revealed the SSP. Aijaz had established a team which carried out targeted killings of three Shia persons as “revenge” for the killing of Qari Amin, the officer added.