Nine Suspected Militants Killed By Police In Bangladesh

Police in Bangladesh have killed nine suspected militants after a gun battle in the capital, Dhaka.

"All of them belong to a militant group but still it is not clear which group they are," a police official was quoted as saying by Western news agencies.

One suspect was arrested during the raid in a residential area and taken into custody by the police.

Police have arrested a number of militants in recent days in the hunt for those involved in a bloody attack on a Dhaka cafe earlier this month in which 20 people were killed, most of them foreigners.

Police believe many extremists are still in hiding and may be planning attacks.

Bangladesh has seen a spate of killings over the past 18 months targeting liberals or members of minority groups -- killings the government blames on two home-grown groups.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP