File photo of Pakistani Taliban
At least seven suspected militants of a banned outfit were gunned down by the police yesterday during a raid in Pakistan's largest city, a senior official said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir, Rao Anwar told reporters, "When we raided the house, the armed militants armed started firing on the raiding party from rooftops of other houses in the area."
In the retaliatory fire seven persons were killed and they were later identified as suspected militants from a 'banned outfit', he said.
Police have recovered a large cache of explosives, ammunition and thousands live bullets from a house in Afghan basti close to Sohrab Goth on the Super Highway, connecting the cities of Hyderabad and Karachi in the Sindh province of Pakistan, the SSP added.
The Police and paramilitary rangers have stepped up operations in many parts of Karachi specially on its outskirts which are inhabited mostly by Afghan refugees or Pushtun speaking population from the Northern areas after a senior police official wrote to the Sindh Chief Minister that the operation to make area militant-free started in the city last year had not achieved its targets.
Anwar said last month also during a raid around the same area six criminals were killed in a clash with the police.
But despite the cleanup operation in Pakistan's biggest city, target killings continued unabated and in the last 24 hours police said 10 people including former woman councilor and two policemen had been killed in shootings in different areas of the city.
Sectarian, political and ethnic target killings are a common occurrence in the metropolitan city with the trend having remerged since last month.