Pakistan police kill 10 Taliban gunmen in Lahore

LAHORE, Pakistan – Pakistani police killed 10 Taliban gunmen in an early morning shootout Saturday, April 8, in Lahore, officials said, with several militants tied to a February bombing in the eastern city dying in the skirmish.

The gunfight erupted as authorities were escorting 5 members from the Pakistani Taliban to an arms cache when they were ambushed by gunmen aiming to free the group, said a spokesman with Punjab’s Counter Terrorism Department.

“About 10 terrorists from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ul-Ahrar were killed during an operation with the Counter Terrorism Department in Punjab including the accused handler of the February 13 Lahore blast,” said the official, referring to a Pakistani Taliban faction.   

According to the spokesman, the fire fight ensued for half an hour with at least 10 gunmen killed.

The skirmish comes days after 7 people were killed and 19 wounded during a Taliban suicide attack targeting a census team in the city.  

Lahore has been on edge since a wave of violent attacks across Pakistan in February killed 130 people and shook citizens emboldened by growing security.

The attacks included a bomb blast in the eastern city on February 13 which killed 14 people in an assault claimed by Pakistani Taliban faction.

After 10 days, a fresh blast sent panic through the city when it killed 8 people, though officials later said it was a gas leak, not an attack as initially feared.

The renewed violence has dented optimism after the country appeared to be making strong gains in its decade-and-a-half long war on militancy, with analysts speaking of a militant resurgence. – Rappler.com