'Storm 26', a plan well executed

Operation “Storm 26”, a special police drive that saw nine suspected militants killed in a Kalyanpur flat yesterday, appears to have been well planned and executed.

No civilian was hurt during the hour-long operation in the city's densely-populated neighbourhood. Only a policeman received minor injuries during a brief initial encounter with criminals, police said.

Law enforcers could sense the presence of militants on the fourth floor of the six-storey house, locally known as “Jahaz Building”, during a block raid in the area in the wee hours of yesterday.

“It is one of the most successful operations. We could eliminate an entire group of militants,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia told a press briefing at the Media Centre of DMP.

He said militants suddenly started hurling grenades from the fourth floor of the building, prompting law enforcers to retaliate with gunfire.

Being confirmed about the presence of militants, police cordoned off the building and waited for several hours to determine the next step.

The police team requested deployment of additional force and stayed in the area till members of specialised SWAT and the DMP's counter terrorism unit reached there around 2:30am.

Police then decided to launch the operation around 5:50am.

“We took cognisance of the location of the building and its entry and exit points before starting the operation,” said the DMP chief.

Law enforcers said raiding the building was not easy as its staircase was narrow. Local residents cooperated with policemen during the operation.

The DMP chief said two suspected militants tried to escape the scene before the operation was launched. One of them managed to flee while the other was shot by law enforcers and later arrested.