Daily Times

Karachi: The three Terrorists which were killed along a woman and child while four rangers personals were injured along with two passer bys in an encounter during a raid conducted by Rangers in Old city’s Urdu Bazaar area Monday night belonged to a banned outfit Jindullah.

Rangers have arrested 10 suspects including the flat owner to investigate further, huge cache of weapon were also recovered from the flat. The initial investigation has reveled that the terrorists had came in to settle here around 3 months ago after healing from “Pashin Baluchistan”. Sind assembly building, rangers headquarter and other offices of LAEs would have been their targets, a FIA CTW source told Daily Times as these places were situated on 5 minutes walking distance from their station point.

According to the details on an Intelligence report a hasty operation was conducted by Pakistan Rangers Sindh for apprehension of Terrorists at a flat near Muqadas Masjid Street no.2 main Urdu Bazar Saddar Karachi late Monday night.

During the raid, Terrorists hurled two crackers in which 04 rangers personal Salman 30yrs, Inamullah 28yrs,Waheed 25yrs, Asif 40yrs, and also a shopkeeper Faisal 25yrs, a boy Kabeer 12yrs, were injured along with two passerbys . After intense resistance from the terrorists who were staying in that flat the team of rangers retaliated with effective firing and this encounter prolonged for at least 6 hours, during this time the terrorists had locked themselves in a room while on the other hand rangers had cordoned off the whole area completely.

Spokesman for Rangers said that four personnel of the paramilitary force also got injured in the encounter, which continued for more than seven hours.

The building, where the miscreants had taken refuge, and nearby properties were evacuated after the exchange of fire began between the two sides.

Two of the terrorists which were killed when they blew themselves up inside the hideout in the room of flat resulting in the death of the woman and child also in the room, while the fourth was killed when he attempted to escape from the scene, official sources informed.

The three terrorists killed in the encounter were identified as Muhammad Zahid, Naeem Achakzai and Hameed, between the ages of 30 and 45 . Naeem belonged to Pishin and was driving a taxi in the city. Hameed was living in the apartment with his wife and daughter. Hameed had presented his Wife as a cancer Patient, both of whom were also killed during the operation, according to the sources .The owner of the flat who also owns the tea shop in the building rented the apartment to his relatives who got settled in here 3 of months ago and the residents used to avoid meeting neighbors.

After the end of that intensive encounter Rangers sealed the apartment and arrested 10 people including the owner of the flat.

DIG South Azad Khan visited the crime scene with forensic team and collected the evidences while the FIA Counter Terrorism Team also visited the spot and made initial report to send it to Islamabad.

According to Rangers, an arrested militant from Mochko Area of Baldia had escorted to the building where his accomplices were present.