By Aamir Latif
ISLAMABAD
Seven suspected Taliban militants have been killed in an alleged encounter with police on Sunday, in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, police said.
The militants, which according to police had been involved in several attacks, including the murder of a city police chief in January, were killed in Ayub Ghot, a suburban neighborhood in Karachi, after they refused to surrender.
Rao Anwar; a city police chief said the deceased included the mastermind of a suicide attack that killed Chaudhry Aslam Khan in January and last week's attempt on Farooq Awan’s life- both men police officials involved in anti-Taliban operations.
Around 60 suspected Taliban have been killed in alleged police encounters in Karachi, in the last three months.
Local media however expressed doubt regarding these types of claims of alleged encounters, blaming the Karachi police for an "arrest and kill" policy in order to avoid a lengthy and cumbersome judicial process. The police deny the charge.
Parts of Karachi, the country's commercial capital, are said to be safe havens for Taliban militants who have been fleeing from restive North Waziristan, and other tribal areas following military operations there.
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