PESHAWAR: Pakistan security forces raided a militant hideout in a residential compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar, triggering a 17-hour standoff in which a police officer and five terrorists were killed.
The joint operation was carried out on the basis of an intelligence tip-off on the presence of terrorists in a three-storey building.
The operation saw the exchange of heavy fire between security forces and terrorists, officials said. "Army and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police conducted a joint Intelligence Based Operation in Hayatabad Phase VII, Peshawar against a terrorist hideout," the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) - the media wing of the military - said in a statement on Tuesday. "During exchange of fire, five terrorists have been killed," it said. An officer, identified as ASI Qamar Alam, was also killed while two others injured during the shootout which began Monday night, it added.
The terrorists, wanted for attacks on a judge and additional inspector-general of police, were hiding in the three-storey residential building in a posh locality of Hayatabad township bordering Khyber district, sources said.
The security forces blew up the main boundary walls of the house and entered the building.The militants were asked to surrender but instead, they opened fire on the security forces. Police said the suspects also threw grenades, which killed the officer. The killing of the police officer triggered a full fledge operation against terrorists and continued till 1230 pm on Tuesday.
Zahoor Afridi, SSP Operation Peshawar, told reporters that operation has been successfully completed as all the terrorists were killed and the compound was cleared.
During the clearance operation, the forces recovered explosive laden motorcycle which was neutralised by the Bomb Disposal Squad. Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Shaheen Mazhar Mahmood visited the site and directed officials to adopt all possible precautions to ensure the security of the area's affected residents.
Peshawar city police chief Qazi Jameel told the media that one of the suspects had been killed last night, whereas the rest of the four were neutralised today. "The Special Services Group and police personnel participated in the operation. Two of them were injured during today's action," Jameel said.
Jameel said that houses in the neighbourhood were vacated to avert any casualty to local residents. He said that the operation lasted for over 17 hours as the forces were directed to conduct the operation in such a manner to avoid casualties to civilians. The terrorists are yet to be identified.