1st LD Writethru: Four Islamist militants killed in raids in Bangladesh

Four suspected militants were killed as Bangladeshi law enforcers on Saturday conducted two separate raids on hideouts of banned Islamist outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), said a police official in Dhaka.

Four JMB militants were killed during two operations of Rapid Action Battalion in Gazipur, on the outskirts of capital Dhaka, and the central Tangail district, some 97 km away from Dhaka, the official who did not like to be named told Xinhua.

Other sources said the militants fired and lobbed hand-made grenades as police members stormed a hideout in Gazipur at about 7:00 a.m. local time on Saturday.

In retaliation, police fired at them, which left two suspected militants dead.

In a separate raid two suspected militants were killed in Tangail, said the official.

Police recovered huge quantity of arms and explosive devices from the drives, the sources said.

JMB, campaigning for establishment of Islamic rule in Bangladesh, carried out a series of bombing attacks in 63 out of the country's 64 districts, including one in capital Dhaka on Aug. 17, 2005, where two people were killed and 150 others injured.

Following that, hundreds of JMB leaders and activists were rounded up while six top leaders of the group, including Shaikh Abdur Rahman, were hanged in 2007.

Bangladeshi law enforcers conducted Saturday's operation following two recent major terror attacks in Dhaka staged by the militants. Endit