Five Al-Qaeda militants killed in Pakistan

LAHORE: Five members of the dreaded terror outfit Al Qaeda, believed to be involved in the assassination of a senior minister in Pakistan's Punjab province, have been killed during an encounter with police, authorities said today.

Law enforcement agencies killed the five, including a sniper trainer, in Sheikhupura district of Punjab province.

The Punjab Police's Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said the five Al-Qaeda members - Umar Farooq (sniper trainer), Qari Naveed, Syed Rohail, Imran and Kashif - were shot dead in a shootout with police commandos yesterday.

A source in Punjab police told PTI that the terrorists were also involved in the assassination of the Punjab Home minister Shuja Khanzada.

Earlier, the police had killed four alleged members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban and Lashkara-e-Jhanghvi for their involvement in the killing of Shuja in a suicide attack at his residence in August.

"As soon as the police party reached in Sheikhupura district at least seven militants opened fire on it probably in an attempt to free Kashif. The police commandos and the CTD personnel returned the fire killing five terrorists. Some other assailants managed to escape due to darkness," CTD said.

The Al-Qaeda sniper trainer was involved in high-profile sectarian killings and his name was included in the Punjab CTD's red book, a list of 110 most wanted terrorists, they added.