Lahore gunbattle ends; all gunmen killed or captured

Terror struck Lahore for the second time in a month when heavily armed gunmen stormed a police academy near Lahore killing at least 27 policemen in an eight-hour siege that ended with four terrorists being shot dead and six captured alive by security forces.

Terror struck Lahore for the second time in a month on Monday when heavily armed gunmen stormed a police academy near Lahore killing at least 27 policemen in an eight-hour siege that ended with four terrorists being shot dead and six captured alive by security forces.

Clad in police uniform,the terrorists,numbering 10,attacked the academy at 7 a.m. and lobbed grenades and opened indiscriminate fire as trainees prepared for the morning drill,killing guards at the gate.

The audacious attack comes barely a month after the bus of the Sri Lankan cricket team was ambushed by terrorists on March 3 here leaving eight people dead. Six cricketers sustained injuries in the attack.

The gunmen moved into a three-storied building in the police academy premises in Manawan,12 kms from the Indian border,and held unspecified number of policemen as hostages.

Elite commandos and security personnel surrounded the premises and used teargas shells to flush the terrorists out.

“The operation has ended with overpowering of a number of terrorists. While four were shot dead,several more were arrested,” Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said.

One of the captured terrorist is 19-20 year old and speaks Pashto. A joint investigation team has been formed to probe the attack,Malik said.