Bangladeshi police killed nine suspected Islamist extremists in a gun-battle on Tuesday morning, officials said. The encounter happened when police force stormed a militant hideout in a Dhaka neighbourhood.
Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Masud Ahmed said, "Nine Islamist militants were killed after two hour-long gunfight."
"Another extremist was shot and arrested during the raid in Kalyanpur neighbourhood," he added.
The officers were attacked by the militants during a "block raid" in that area after midnight. The entire area has been cordoned off after suspects threw hand bomb at the police.
The Islamist gunmen shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is the Greatest") as they were engaged in a violent gun battle throughout the night with a heavily armed police force and the elite security force Rapid Action Battalion.
"This morning police launched operation Storm 26 and was able to destroy the militants. We're now sweeping the place," Dhaka additional police commissioner Sheikh Maruf Hasan who led the raid said in an interview to AFP.
It is still not clear which group the Islamist extremists belong to.
"Their dress and their slogans before and after the attack all proved that they are members of (Islamist) militant force," Hasan said, adding that they were wearing black tunics and shouting "Allahu Akbar".
Earlier this month, five heavily armed gunmen barged into the Holey Artisan Bakery and O' Kitchen Restaurant at a posh neighbourhood in Dhaka and took the guests hostages.
At least 20 people were killed in the terror attack. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
