Dhaka: Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Tuesday said the Kalyanpur operation conducted by law enforcement agencies was successful as no local was hurt in it.

‘Those killed in the Kalyanpur operation were members of JMB (Jama’atul Mujaheen Bangladesh. They gathered there for planning big subversive acts …the law enforcement agencies conducted the block raid upon information,’ he told reporters at the Secretariat.

Talking about ‘block raid’ to check terrorist activities, the minister said, ‘It’s a regular drive, and the Kalyanpur raid was part of the ‘block raid’ and it will continue.’

He urged people to inform the police about any suspicious militant activity in their surroundings, reports UNB.

In reply to a query, Asaduzzaman said, ‘JMB, Harkat Ul Jihad and Ansarullah Bangla Team, all are the same…they’re conspiring to destabilise the country and embarrass the government. There’s no reason to be panicked about it.’

Asked whether the militants have link to the Gulshan-Sholakia terrorist attacks, the minister said, ‘After observing the clothes and explosives found from the Kalyanpur den, it could be said it has a link to the Gulshan-Sholakia terror attacks, but the law enforcement agencies are investigating it and it can be confirmed after the investigation.’

Besides, samples from the bodies of the nine suspected militants will be sent for visceral test to confirm the presence of any drug, he added.

Earlier in the day, nine suspected militants were killed in police firing during an operation by a special team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in the city's Kalyanpur area early Tuesday.