3 militants killed near Bangladesh PM''s office

Dhaka, January 12

Three militants were killed on Friday in a raid by Bangladesh's anti-crime elite force on a militant hideout near Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's office here.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Director General Benazir Ahmed confirmed the death of the three militants, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Bodies of three militants were seen on the fifth floor of the building where they were hiding," he told journalists.

He said security forces surrounded the house suspecting it to be militant hideout. Two RAB personnel were injured as the militants fired bullets and hurled a grenade.

The militants also exploded several bombs as the law enforcers asked them to surrender.

At least three persons, including the owner of the house, were detained.

It was not known whether the Prime Minister was in her office during the raid on the hideout, which is located less than a half kilometer away.

RAB spokesman Mufti Mahmud Khan said a bomb disposal unit of the RAB was working at the spot where some IEDs (improvised explosive devices) had been found.

In the wake of the deadly July 2016 cafe attack, Bangladesh has conducted a series of large-scale operations against the militants.

Neo-JMB, an offshoot of the banned militant outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, was blamed for an attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery which killed 20 hostages, mostly foreigners. — IANS.