Pakistan Police: Shootouts Near Karachi Kill 12 Militants

Pakistani police raided two militant hideouts on the outskirts of the port city of Karachi

Pakistani police raided two militant hideouts on the outskirts of the port city of Karachi, sparking shootouts in which 12 militants were killed, a senior police officer said Wednesday.

According to ABC News agency, seven of the slain men belonged to Pakistan’s anti-Shiite Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militant group while five were from al-Qaida’s branch in the Indian subcontinent, said the officer, Rao Anwar.

The shootouts occurred over the past 48 hours, Anwar told reporters, adding that the slain suspects were involved in killings of civilians and attacks on security forces. He said two policemen were also wounded in the shootouts and that officers recovered bomb-making material, guns and assault rifles from the militants’ hideouts.