MIANWALI, May 26 The police arrested two alleged terrorists linked with Tehrik-i-Taliban after an hour-long shootout in Kacha area on Tuesday morning. However, five others fled.

DPO Akbar Nasir Khan said on a tip-off that some terror suspects were present at the outhouse of Alam Khan near Mooch in Kacha area on which a police party headed by the Musakhel SDPO cordoned off the hideout.

The outlaws opened fire at the policemen who retaliated and two of them identified as Abdullah Khan of Sulanbwala Sharqi, and Saleem Zaman, of Wan Bhachran, were arrested after the ensuing shootout.

The Mooch police seized from them a light machine gun, 11 grenades, one rocket launcher with eight shells and eight fuses, four rifles, including one AK-47 rifle, and 800 live cartridges and registered cases against them under Section 186, 353 and 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code, Section 13 of the Arms Ordinance, Section 4 and 5 of the Explosives Act and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The DPO said their five accomplices who jumped into the Indus to flee were identified as Nadir Abdullah, of Wan Bhachran, Sher Abbas, of Chhidro, Ziaullah, of Wan Bhachran, Abdul Hai, of Chhidro, and Abu Obaid, of Wan Bhachran.

The DPO said suspects were associated with commander Tariq of Tehrik-i-Taliban, Dara Adamkhel, who is known to be the right hand of Baitullah Mehsood.

He said the suspects also had links with the terrorist attack on Qudratabad check post in which eight policemen were killed.

The DPO said they were keeping an eye on four types of criminals and terrorists including the criminals falling in the ambit of 4th schedule of the home department, Afghan trained boys and those who were released from Afghan and Guantanamo Bay prisons.

He said Afghan refugees present in this district were being screened and their activities being monitored. There are 17,000 registered Afghan refugees in this district.—Correspondent