Three policemen were ambushed in the western district of Karachi in two separate incidents Thursday morning, city police chief Ghulam Qadri Thebo told reporters. 

Later in the evening, police raided a militant hideout in the shanty Sohrab Ghot area and killed seven suspected militants in a two-hour long shootout.

The deceased, who according to the police belonged to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, included an al-Qaeda member.

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan is a conglomerate of different insurgent networks operating in Pakistan and is also known as the Pakistani Taliban.

Over 125 suspected militants have been killed in several clashes with the police in Karachi in the last five months.

Some of these clashes are suspected as fake by local media, and an attempt to cover up extra-judicial killings.

Around two dozen security personnel have also lost their lives in clashes with militants during this period.

Karachi, the commercial capital of Pakistan, is known for its gang wars and sectarian violence. Many of its suburban localities are considered safe havens for fleeing Pakistani Taliban militants from the restless North Waziristan region due to an ongoing military operation there.