Dhaka, Mar 16 – Three suspected militants, including a female, were shot dead by police during an overnight raid on a militant hideout in Sitakunda upazila of Chittagong, officials said on Thursday.A special team of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit confronted a group of extremists holed up in a house in the Premtala area in the early hours of Thursday, exchanging gunfire with them, additional superintendent of police (headquarter) of Chittagong, Habibur Rahman said.
The police tactical team recovered the bullet-hit bodies of three suspected militants from the house. Two members of the Special Weapon and Tactics Team (SWAT), injured during the gunfight, were taken to Chittagong Combined Military Hospital, the official said.
The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.
The area has remained cordoned off since Wednesday, when the police first surrounded the house and tried to enter the premises. The militants inside resisted by hurling explosives at the police.
The police team also rescued nine people from the house during the drive.
Earlier, on Wednesday, Police unearthed two ‘militant dens’ in Sitakunda upazila and arrested a couple with their two-month-old baby. They also recovered bombs, grenades and firearms from the house.
Following information gleaned from the couple, the same team raided the house in Premtala, where jihadists were believed to be hiding, and kept it surrounded overnight. – UNB
