3 militants killed in police encounter in Karachi

Karachi, Sep 26 (PTI) As Pakistani forces spread their
anti-militancy dragnet to the south, two militants were killed
in a gun battle, while a third blew himself up to evade arrest
in the port city of Karachi on Friday.

Acting on a tip-off, provided by a militant during
interrogation, law enforcing agencies launched an operation
early Friday morning in the Baldia Town area where five to six
militants of outlawed outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi were believed
to be hiding in a house, city police chief Wasim Ahmed said.

The police raid sparked a gun battle that lasted several
hours. The militants lobbed grenades at the police but Ahmed
said no policemen were injured. Earlier, reports had said the
militants were hiding in a graveyard.

While two militants were shot dead, another blew himself
up to evade arrest. The house in which the militants were
hiding collapsed after the explosion.

Reports said two to three militants were arrested and
taken way to an undisclosed location for interrogation. Dawn
News channel quoted official sources as saying that the
militants belonged to the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which has
been blamed for several attacks in Karachi.

Police chief Ahmed said Rahimullah, the ring leader of
the militants, was arrested from a different location and had
revealed during questioning that his colleagues were hiding in
a house in Baldia Town in order to carry out attacks in
Karachi.

"We launched the operation on confirming the information
that the suspects were hiding in the house for possible
attacks," he said. The militants were wanted for their
involvement in an attack on a religious gathering in Karachi
in April 2006 that killed over 50 people.