Police kill four ‘terrorists’ near Safoora Goth

Police claimed on Tuesday to have killed four `militants’ in a ‘shootout’ near Safoora Goth.

The militants on two motorbikes, according to police, were spotted near Anara Garden, a residential project close to Al Azhar Garden where over 45 members of the Ismaili community were killed in a terrorist attack last month.

“We have already enhanced deployment in this neighbourhood after the last month’s incident and our patrolling parties have been quite vigilant during their rounds. Today’s encounter was the result of that proactive policing,” the area’s sub-divisional police officer, DSP Khalid Khan, said.

He said the policemen deployed at one of the posts had spotted the suspicious riders and alerted one of the patrolling parties in the area.

“The patrolling party rushed to the site and found the riders moving around,” the DSP said, adding: “The policemen asked the riders to stop, but they fired shots instead, triggering firing by the police. After a brief encounter all the four armed men were found dead.”

He said police seized two motorbikes, pistols and hand-grenades. The deceased remain unidentified.

The DSP said police had reasons to believe that they were associated with a banned militant group.