Militants behind attack on Sri Lanka cricket team killed in police gun battle

Four Islamic extremists allegedly involved in a 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team were killed in a shoot-out with police on Sunday. They died when a group of seven or eight gunmen ambushed an anti-terror squad in the Manawan area of Lahore, according to Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department. The hour-and-a-half-long gun battle erupted when the officers responded to a tip-off that the gang, also said to be responsible for the 2008 Moon Market suicide blast, was hiding in a building in the area. Three or four of the suspects escaped, the CTD said.

The police team which came under attack of terrorists returned the fire, killing four of them on the spot while the remaining three managed to escape by taking advantage of darkness,

CTD spokesman

The attack on the cricket team - who were only in Pakistan as replacements for India after they pulled out - killed six police and two bystanders, and wounded six players. The Pakistani Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an affiliated extremist group, claimed the attack, which was carried out by 10 gunmen near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. It has led to Pakistan being unable to international cricket matches at home since.

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