Bangladesh police kill nine suspected militants in raid

Police in Bangladesh have killed nine suspected Islamist militants after a gun battle in Dhaka, officials said.

Police were searching the residential area of Kallyanpur when they were attacked by handmade bombs.

Bangladesh has seen a string of deadly attacks on secular writers, bloggers, and member of religious minorities.

Earlier this month 20 people, mostly foreigners, were killed in a bloody attack on an upmarket cafe in Dhaka.

It was not immediately clear which group the suspected militants killed on Tuesday were part of. One suspect was taken into custody by police.
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On 1 July, five armed men entered the Holey Artisan Bakery in the diplomatic area and held people hostage for several hours. At least 20 people died in an attack claimed by Islamic State.

Since the attack, police have been conducting planned "block raids" in suspected militant hideouts.

It was during one of these regular searches that the police came under attack on Tuesday, according to Deputy Police Commissioner Masud Ahmed, and retaliated with gun fire.