By IRNA,
Islamabad : Suspected Pakistani Taliban and police exchanged firing in a Pakistani northwestern city on Thursday, injuring a police man and at least three civilians, police and witnesses said.
Firing started after the militants took shelter inside a mosque near the city of Nowshehra, some 40 kilometers northwest of Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province.
Police said that a group of militants were coming from Peshawar and when police, on suspicion, signaled the car to stop the armed militants did not stop and started firing at police.
The police returned fire and chased the car but the militants took shelter in a mosque at a small village Badrashi at the outskirts of the garrison city of Nowshehra.
Badrashi village is located in the neighborhood of sensitive military area, locals said.
The authorities sealed the area and also sought help of police from other areas to deal with the situation as Taliban were refusing to surrender.
A police officer Yameen Khan told reporters that the security forces want to arrest the militants alive.
He said the police are also avoiding firing at the mosque and had made announcements to the militants to surrender.
Police said the militants also threw hand grenade at the police party injuring a police man and three civilians, who were caught in firing.
The authorities also evacuated children from a nearby school, witnesses said.