Plot to bomb gas pipelines, rail tracks foiled; 5 militants dead

Anti-terrorism police in Rajanpur foiled a major terror plot by killing at least five terrorists of a proscribed organization, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police said in a statement on Friday.

According to the CTD officials, the operation was carried out on an intelligence tip-off regarding presence of suspected militants in a building in Arabi Tibba area of Rajanpur district.

Police came under fire from terrorists to which the CTD personnel responded with effective retaliatory fire and killed all five terrorists, said the CTD officials, adding that the militants were planning to conduct terrorist activities in the Punjab province.

Police recovered arms, ammunition and maps of sensitive buildings of the province from the militants' compound. The officials also seized a 10-15 kg bomb which has been defused by bomb disposal squad of police.

Earlier in June, four militants were gunned down during a CTD operation on the outskirts of Peshawar.

Kaleem Qureshi, spokesman for the Counter-Terrorism Department, confirmed officers seized a bomb and weapons from the hideout of the slain men.

He said the raid foiled possible terrorist attacks on gas pipelines and railway tracks by members of the Baloch Republican Army.