KARACHI: Seven militants were killed in raids by security forces in Karachi, a military official said Tuesday.

Brig Gen Mohammad Khurram told reporters that the two overnight raids came after reports that militants from Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) planned to attack a security forces headquarters near the airport.

Khurram said that in the first raid, three militants were trapped in a building and killed themselves by detonating explosive vests.

He added that in the second raid, security forces killed three militants while a fourth blew himself up. After the Pakistani army began military operations in their tribal sanctuaries, many Taliban militants began hiding in urban areas.

Also read: Four killed in Rangers operation in Karachi

Law enforcement agencies have been actively seeking to rid Karachi — Pakistan’s commercial hub— of terrorism and violence via operations in the city’s troubled areas for well over a year now.

Both police and Rangers have raided plenty of areas and have arrested thousands of suspects and criminals to ensure peace in the city, which has been hit by a wave of law and order problems.