259 law enforcers, 282 terrorist killed in two years in Pakistan's Karachi

A total of 232 policemen and 27 paramilitary troopers have been killed and many others injured in the line of duty in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi over the last two years, officials said.

Police and paramilitary troops Rangers conducted a joint press conference in Karachi on Saturday as the operation against the militancy and street crimes in the city marked two years.

Mushtaq Maher, Additional Inspector General Police said that the law enforcement agencies have killed 282 militants, arrested 38 kidnappers and 10 extortionists, recovered 15,400 weapons, bulletproof jackets, rocket launchers and hand grenades during the operation which was kicked off on Sept. 5, 2013 in Karachi, the capital city of the country's south Sindh province.

Briefing about the achievements of the operation, he said that terror-related incidents have been reduced up to 60 percent, target killing reduced up to 70 percent and extortion came down up to 60 percent since the commencement of the operation.

He said that the forces conducted 6,081 small operations in different localities of the city on intelligence tip-offs which broke the backbone of the militants.

Maher said that some 35 percent of the work remains to be completed to return peace to the city, which will be done soon.

The Karachi operation was initiated on the directives of the federal government four months after the country's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sworn in.

The primary aim of the offensive was to bring to task criminals identified by the agencies in view of the declining law and order situation in Karachi.

Talking to media on Friday, the country's Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said the operation will continue without any discrimination and the federal government fully supports it. Endi