4 militants including key commander killed in shoot-out in Pakistan

Islamabad, Jan 20 (IANS) At least four terrorists including a militant commander were killed in shoot-out with police in Sheikhupura district of Pakistan on Thursday, local Urdu media reported.

The millitant commander was identified as Rizwan alias Asif Chotu, the chief of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ), a Punjab-based banned outfit involved in carrying out sectarian attacks in the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

Police said he killed hundreds of people and had a bounty of $30,000 on his head.

Formed in early 1990s, the LeJ is considered one of the most extremist Sunni terror group of Pakistan and is accused of killing hundreds of Shia Muslims across the country since its formation.

The group was banned by former President Pervez Musharraf in 2001.

The group also claimed many sectarian attacks including bomb blasts and attacks on Shia pilgrims' buses in the country's Balochistan province over the last few years.

Another killed militant was the Chief of the LeJ in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The terrorist Noor ul Amin had a bounty of $10,000 on his head.

Dawn News said that acting on an intelligence tip-off, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police set up a special picket to snap check vehicles carrying suspected militants on the Sheikhupura-Lahore Road in the country's east Punjab province.

The CTD officials said that seven terrorists riding four motorbikes tried to ride past the picket when the policemen signalled them to stop for checking.

The bike riders changed their route after seeing the police, and opened fire while fleeing.

Four militants were killed in the shoot-out while three managed to flee.