Pakistan says 4 militants behind 2009 cricket attack killed

Three people allegedly involved in a 2009 gun-and-bomb attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore have been killed in a late-night clash between the security forces and terrorists, police said Sunday.

The dead terrorists have been identified as Zubair alias Naik Muhammad, Abdul Wahab, Adnan Arshad and Attiqur Rehman. Their bodies were shifted to a morgue after the encounter. Slain terrorists were involved in 2008 Moon Market suicide explosion and the attack on Sri Lankan cricket team attack in 2009. Six policemen providing security were killed in the assault which hit global cricket in Pakistan.

Pakistan is fighting a number of Islamist militant groups who have staged scores of attacks against the state, civilians and religious minorities over the last decade, although Lahore remains relatively safer than other parts of the country. An exchange of fire took place between the two parties in which four terrorists were killed and four other terrorists managed to escape from the scene.

The Pakistani Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an affiliated extremist group, claimed the attack, which was carried out by 10 gunmen. Both spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution.

Four terrorists were killed in an operation by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Saturday night at Manawan, as arms, explosives were also recovered, reported Dunya News.