DHAKA, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Operation Twilight to flash out a militant den by joint forces led by Bangladesh Army Para-Commando Battalion on Monday spilled into its fourth day since Friday, leaving so far eight people including police officers and two militants dead.
Commandos have been continuing the operation at a suspected militant den in the country's Sylhet city, some 240 km northeast of capital Dhaka
Bangladeshi Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told journalists Monday in Dhaka that commandos are taking time because of the high risk involved.
He said the militants have planted a huge stash of Improvised Explosive Devices in the building, mostly on the ground floor and the staircase.
Sporadic gunshots were heard since Monday morning around the militant hideout and was underway in regular intervals.
Against this backdrop, restriction net was even wider as the law enforcers formed a five-km secured area around the five-story building "Atia Mahal".
Hundreds of people reportedly left the area on Monday fearing more volatility. Eighty-six residents including six on Monday from adjacent houses have so far been evacuated to safe areas.
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