Two pirates killed in 'shootout'

Two pirates were killed in a "shootout" with a joint team of Coast Guard, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and police on Thursday at Pathorghata upazila in Barguna.
The deceased were identified as Faruq, 28, Afjal Hossain, 35 of Tengra village of the upazila.
Both were the members of 'Julfiqar Bahini', a gang of pirates in the Sundarbans area, said Rab.
The joint team recovered 3 pipe guns, 10 rounds of bullets and 2 machetes from the spot. The bodies were handed over to Pathorghata police.
Maj Kazi Shamsher Uddin, deputy director of Rab-8, said a joint team of Coast Guard, Rab and police was patrolling the Boleshwar River and its adjacent areas. Around 3:00am the team challenged a gang of pirates who were on a speedy trawler, but the gang started firing at the law enforcers, after a gunfight of half an hour the gang fled, but the law forces recovered the two bodies and the arms, Maj Shamsher said.
Coast Guard and Rab started patrolling the area as pirate gangs increased their activities there during the current Hilsa catching season.