6 terrorists, including one suspected of kidnapping Shahbaz Taseer killed by Pakistan. (File)
Six Taliban terrorists, including the alleged kidnapper of the Shahbaz Taseer, were killed by the Pakistan's elite Counter Terror Department (CTD). The son of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer, Shahbaaz was kidnapped in 2011 and was released earlier this year.
According to the CTD spokesperson, the entire operation was mounted after the police received a tip-off that nearly 10 terrorists affiliated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were hiding in a house in Sheikhpura, in Pakistan's Punjab province.
After the terrorists realised they were surrounded they made a desperate bid to escape using a car and two motorcycles, according to the CTD. Six terrorists were gunned down but four managed to escape.
"When the shootout ended, we had managed to kill six terrorists," the CTD spokesperson said told Pakistan daily Dawn. He also claimed that arms and ammunition, including three Kalashnikov rifles, three pistols, 2 Kg of explosives, and a large cache of other small arms were recovered by the police.
Among those killed was Haji Muhammad, or Pathan, who was accused of being involved in the kidnapping of Shahbaaz Taseer. He had allegedly rented a house in Valencia Town in Lahore, where Mr Taseer was kept for several days before being taken to Pakistan's restive Federally Administered Tribal Region.
Pathan is suspected to have worked for two organizations - the TTP and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. CTD officials are still trying to identify the others who were killed in today's operation.