7 terrorists killed in Karachi
Karachi, May 26: Seven militants who were plotting rocket, grenade and suicide attacks in Pakistan’s biggest city Karachi have been killed in two raids by paramilitary Rangers, a spokesman for the force said on Tuesday.
The raids, which began Monday night and continued Tuesday morning, also saw the recovery of a major cache of weapons and explosives.
The police and Rangers, since 2013, have been carrying out a major cleanup operation in the city which has reduced the level of violent crime.
But critics accuse them of staging firefights to carry out hundreds of extra- judicial killings, and neither the death toll nor the identity of those killed in the latest raids could be immediately verified.
The first took place in the Mominabad shanty town in the city’s west and was met by fierce resistance, according to a statement by the Rangers.
It said four militants were killed, including one who blew himself up, while another was arrested.
Automatic weapons, about 16 kilograms of explosives, suicide vests containing seven kilograms of explosives and 500 kilograms of metal nuts and bolts were recovered from the hideout.
“There were authentic intelligence reports that the terrorists were plotting to use the explosives to carry out a big terrorist attack in Karachi,” the statement said.
Three more militants, including another suicide bomber who blew himself up, were killed in a second raid Tuesday morning, the statement said. One Ranger was injured.
Pakistan has been battling a home- grown Islamist insurgency which flared following the US- led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
Initially confined to the western border areas, it later spread to major cities. — AFP
● Automatic weapons, about 16 kg of explosives, suicide vests containing seven kg of explosives and 500 kg of metal nuts and bolts were recovered from the hideout