3 involved in Lanka team bus attack killed
The clash occurred when police raided a building where terrorists were hiding in Lahore
Four terrorists including three involved in 2009 attack on Sri Lankan cricket team were killed overnight, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab province in Pakistan said yesterday.
The clash occurred when police raided a building where terrorists were hiding in Lahore, capital of Punjab.
The CTD said four terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire while some managed to escape and a search operation was underway to capture them.
Terrorists identified
Those killed were identified as Naik Mohammad, Abdul Wahab, Adnan Arshad and Ateequr Rehman. The first three were also involved in the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009, in which several police guards were killed.
In March 2009, a bus carrying the Sri Lankan team was attacked by the Taliban and LeJ terrorists with sophisticated weapons and grenades at Liberty Chowk, near Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Seven players including the then captain Mahela Jayawaredene, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera, Tharanga Paranavitana and Chaminda Vaas were injured, while six Pakistani policemen escorting the team were killed in the attack.
The alleged mastermind of the cricket team attack Malik Ishaq, chief of banned sectarian militant outfit Lashkari-Jhangvi, was killed in July last year during a shoot-out between CTD personnel and militants who tried to get their leader free from custody.
Seven terrorists attacked a CID team in Manawan area of Lahore where offices of the department are located, according to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Punjab police.
“The police team which came under attack of terrorists returned the fire, killing four of them on the spot while the remaining three managed to escape under the cover of darkness,” a CTD spokesman said.
He said the police have launched a search operation in the area to trace the absconding terrorists.