Police say four suspected militants from a banned Islamist group were killed during a police raid on a building in southeastern Bangladesh.

Senior police official Shafiqul Islam said on Thursday that they had completed an overnight operation after cordoning off the building where the suspects used to stay in Sitakunda in Chittagong district.

Bangladesh has experienced a surge in attacks by suspected militants in recent years. In a July attack, 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, were killed in a restaurant in the nation’s capital.