Indonesia police kill 6 suspected militants

Police in Indonesia have killed six suspected militants and arrested another in a raid near the capital, Jakarta.

Police forces raided on Tuesday a house in South Tangerang city, where there was a gathering of militants, police spokesman Ronny Sompie said.

Sompie also said that a gun battle erupted at the scene after the militants refused to surrender and shot at police.

“They are suspected of being involved in several terror activities in 2013, including the shooting of police officers,” he said, adding that police have seized firearms and explosive materials from the house.

Some 6,500 police officers have been deployed for security in the capital and surrounding areas on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Indonesia has been hit by several deadly attacks over the past ten years, including the bombings of a tourist district in Bali Island in 2002 that claimed the lives of 202 people, mostly foreigners.

Since then Jakarta has carried out several anti-terrorism operations and dismantled some of the country’s deadliest networks.