ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistani police fought for more than 10 hours with militants they said were planning to attack the home of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, officials said Thursday.
An intelligence officer and two militants were killed when the shootout erupted during an overnight operation in the eastern city of Lahore, said police chief Zulfiqar Hameed. Shuja Khanzada, a provincial counterterrorism official, said the gunbattle took place at a house near Sharif’s residence, which he said was the “prime target” of the militants.
Sharif was away from the residence at the time, receiving a briefing at Pakistani military headquarters on a major offensive launched against militants in the lawless northwest.
In a separate incident, a roadside bomb killed six people in the northwestern city of Hangu. Police official Abid Khan said a smaller bomb exploded first, causing no casualties, and that the larger bomb went off after bystanders had gathered at the scene.
The target of the bombs was not clear, and no one claimed responsibility for them.