Gunshots heard as suspected militants hideouts cordoned off in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) — Sporadic gunshots were heard Tuesday morning as law enforcers cordoned off two houses suspected to be militant hideouts in Bangladesh’s Narsingdi district, some 51 km east of capital Dhaka.
Members of Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT), an elite tactical unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, surrounded the houses early Tuesday, suspecting presence of Islamist militants there, Monirul Islam, counter-terrorism unit chief of Bangladesh Police, told journalists.
Militants reportedly fired dozens of gunshots from inside one of the houses. In response, law enforcers also fired at the militants.
No one was reportedly hurt in the gunfire and blasts.
Law enforcers on loudspeaker asked the suspected militants to surrender.
No further details were immediately available about the raid.
Security has been tightened in Bangladesh since militants attacked a Spanish cafe in Dhaka’s Gulshan on July 1, 2016, killing 22 people mostly foreigners.
Since the cafe attack, Bangladeshi police have conducted series of large-scale operations against militants. Enditem