LAHORE: The Counter Terrorism Department claimed on Wednesday night to have killed eight members of the outlawed Al Qaeda in an ‘encounter’ in Multan’s Nawabpur area.

A CTD spokesman said that a tip-off came that Al Qaeda commander Muneeb Javaid alias Qandhari and Tayab Nawaz alias Hafiz Abdul Mateen, along with Muneeb Razaq alias Abdul Rehman and Zeeshan alias Abu Dujana, were coming to Multan to hold a meeting with Al Qaeda commander Bilal Lateef alias Yasir Punjabi and other militants, including two suicide bombers.

He said that the suspected terrorists had gathered in the suburbs of Multan to plan an attack on a university in the city.

The spokesman said that on the basis of the tip-off, a joint team of ISI and Multan Counter Terrorism Depart­ment personnel carried out a raid on the meeting point near Nawabpur village.

He said after seeing the police team the militants fired RPG rockets and lobbed hand-grenades.

The police team retaliated and when the firing stopped eight Al Qaeda militants were found dead.

Some of the dead were identified as Tayyab alias Abdul Mateen, Muneeb Razaq alias Adbul Rehman, Zeeshan alias Abu Dujana. Muneeb Razaq and Zee-shan were proclaimed offenders in the assassination of Brig Fazal Qadri in Sargodha.

Identity of other dead militants was yet to be established.

Taking advantage of the darkness, Bilal Lateef and Muneeb Javaid, along with their five to six associates, escaped.

The spokesman said one suicide jacket, two AK47 rifles, two pistols and three hand-grenades were recovered from the scene.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2016