(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Heavy weapons and explosives were recovered from the militants after a gun battle in the southern Muzaffargarh district.
Pakistan police foiled a major terror attack on Saturday in central Punjab province killing at least four suspected Taleban militants officials said.
Heavy weapons and explosives — including four suicide jackets 12 rockets 40 hand grenades and 328 kilogrammes of gun-powder — were recovered from the militants after a gun battle in the southern Muzaffargarh district some 350 kilometres from provincial capital Lahore.
“We received information from intelligence officials about the movement of militants in the area. The gunfight started when police signalled a car to stop for checks and militants fired at the cops” Rai Zamirul Haq police chief in the district said.
“In the exchange of fire we killed four militants. Two police officials were also injured by two grenades hurled at them by the militants” he said.
Police said they also found chemicals for potential use in an attack stored in the militants’ vehicle which were also confiscated for further investigation.
“By seizing such large quantity of weapons and explosives and killing these militants we have foiled a major attempt of terror in the region. There were confirmed intelligence reports that the militants were planning major terrorist attacks in Multan and Muzaffargarh cities” Haq said.
The authorities suspect that the militants are linked to the Punjabi Taleban faction of the Tehreek-i-Taleban Pakistan (TTP) a militant outfit which has waged a long-term insurgency in the country and has killed thousands of people in suicide bomb and gun attacks.
“The killed militants belonged to banned Punjabi Taleban’s Abu-Ubaida group and we had received confirmed intelligence reports about their planned activities” Haq said.
Nabila Ghazanfar a police spokeswoman in Lahore confirmed the killings and said that the cops had cordoned off the area to search for any other militants.
Another senior police official in the territory Rehmatullah Niazi said that the bodies of the militants were being identified.
Meanwhile in south west Baluchistan province a policeman was killed and another wounded when unknown militants hurled a grenade at their post in Khuzdar district.
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