The Bangladesh Police on Tuesday killed nine suspected Islamist militants in a raid at a militant hideout in Kalyanpur, located in the outskirts of Dhaka. Another militant was also shot and arrested during the raid.
"Nine Islamist militants were killed after two-hour-long gunfight," Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Masud Ahmed was quoted by AFP as saying.
The apartment building where the "block raid" was conducted after midnight has been cordoned off after militants threw a small hand bomb at policemen.
The Islamist militants and the police indulged in exchange of fire throughout the night, the police said, adding that the gunmen shouted "Allahu Akbar" as the neighbourhood was surrounded by hundreds of heavily armed police and the elite security force Rapid Action Battalion.
"This morning police launched operation Storm 26 and was able to destroy the militants. We're now sweeping the place," Dhaka Additional Police Commissioner Sheikh Maruf Hasan, the leader of the raid, was quoted by AFP as saying, while adding that all 10 gunmen were part of Islamist extremists groups and were dressed in black tunics. However, it was not clear which particular group they belonged to.
"Their dress and their slogans before and after the attack all proved that they are members of (Islamist) militant force," Hasan said.
Bangladesh has been a victim of terrorists attacks, the most recent being the one at a cafe in Dhaka on July 1 that claimed the lives of 20 hostages, mostly foreigners. The five militants were shot dead by the police.
