Police killed three al Qaeda militants during a gunfight here on Sunday after raiding their hideout, officials said. The skirmish took place in Gulshan-e-Buner, when police were searching the area after receiving a tip-off that militants were hiding there, senior police official Rao Muhmmad Anwar told AFP.
"When police reached an area near a hill, terrorists started firing on them and in retaliation three militants were killed," said Anwar, adding that the militants belonged to the al Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent branch.
Police also recovered weapons and explosives from the hideout, he added.
One of the militants was identified as Riaz Raju, who was wanted over the killing of policemen and murders of Shias in Karachi, Anwar said.
Two other policemen confirmed the raid and casualties.