MINGORA, March 21: Five alleged militants were gunned down by security forces when they tried to escape from their custody in Matta area of Swat district on Monday, official sources said.

They said that militants were in the custody of security forces who had brought them for identification of a place where weapons were reportedly dumped.

An official said that militants ran away to the nearby forest and security forces  opened fire, killing all of them on the spot.

They  were identified as Aizaz Rehman, Zarawer Khan, Islam Din alias Osama, Attaullah and Inamullah.

The bodies were handed over to their relatives.

They belonged to Matta area near Mingora.

Troops arrested hundreds of militants and suspects during military action in Swat and other districts of Malakand division in 2009.

These people had been put in detention centres and have yet to be produced in courts.