By Adi Chowdhury

Police in Bangladesh have killed nine suspected Islamist militants after a gun battle in Dhaka, officials said. One other militant was injured and taken to a hospital.

A military hideout in the Kallyanpu neighborhood in Dhaka was raided by the Bangladesh police force as well as the RAB (Rapid Action Battalion) early Tuesday morning. A gun battle ensued for two hours after a small hand gun was thrown down at the police conducting the “block raid.” The apartment and neighborhood was closed off by “hundreds of heavily armed police and the elite security force Rapid Action Battalion”, according to a report by Times of India. The final storming started just before 6am, led by SWAT.

“This morning police [launched the raid]….and was able to destroy the militants. We’re now sweeping the place,” Dhaka additional police commissioner Sheikh Maruf Hasan reported. He added, “Their dress and their slogans before and after the attack all proved that they are members of Islamic military forces.”

Commissioner Hasan mentioned that they were wearing black tunics and shouting “Allahu Akbar”.

Jihadi books, bombs and firearms were found, indicating affiliation with Islamist forces. Unpacked black dresses and a black flag, as well as a grenade and pistol, were discovered in the apartment. Though it is not certain which group the militants subscribed to, the police have suspected ties with the JBM, an extremist group in Bangladesh.

Ten militants were involved in the raid, nine of whom have been killed. Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque said one person had been detained following the operation.

For more information, here’s the report from BD News 24.