KARACHI: Police claimed to have killed four suspected militants in an encounter in the Sachal area on Monday evening.

A hideout of the militants in Rahim Villas, off the Superhighway, was raided by police while acting on a tip-off, said Sachal SHO Ismail Lashari. On seeing the police, the suspects opened fire on them and an exchange of fire ensued for about an hour. When the guns fell silent four suspected militants were dead, while no casualty was suffered by police, he said.

Around 5:30pm, 12 police vans with police commandos raided the hideout where the militants engaged them for an hour.

The officer believed that four other suspects managed to escape.

The deceased belonged to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, said SHO Lashari. He identified two of the deceased as Noor Alam, believed to be a local commander of the TTP in the area, and Rahibullah.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2014