Six militants killed in Pakistan's Punjab province

Six militants, involved in the killing of a Brigadier of Pakistan's spy agency ISI and several deadly blasts, were shot dead during an encounter with the security forces in Punjab, a media report said today.

According to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), the suspects were also involved in the blast near the residence-cum-office of Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Shari last year that claimed 26 lives including eight policemen.

The CTD had tracked the militants near Gujrat in Punjab where a gunbattle broke out between them, Geo News reported.

The suspects, eight or nine in number, had opened fire on the CTD team. The team killed six suspects in retaliatory fire, while three of them managed to escape, an official said.

A CTD spokesperson said the suspects were involved in the killing of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Brigadier Zahoor Fazal Qadri and his brother in Sargodha in 2004.

Those killed in the shootout have been identified as Abdul Muqeem, Faisal, Usman, Azeem, Rauf and Sohaib, whose name was included in the red book, according to the report.

Suicide bombing vests, hand grenades and ammunition were recovered from them, the official said.