An army personnel and three suspected terrorists were killed during a shootout at Ruma Zone in Bandarban on Wednesday night, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Thursday.

“The deceased army man, Habibur Rahman, was a warrant officer,” said a local intelligence official.

All the three deceased “terrorists” were said to be members of the Jana Sanghati Samiti (JSS-Shantu Larma) but their identities could not be known yet.

Acting on a tip off that a group of JSS terrorists were out there to extort money at Bathi Para in Ruma, a patrol team, led by senior warrant officer Habib, conducted a drive there around 10:30pm, said a local intelligence official, requesting anonymity.

But, he said, the terrorists opened fire indiscriminately on them upon their arrival, forcing the army officers to fire back.

Warrant officer Habibur Rahman, he said, died on the spot as he sustained bullets, fired by the terrorists, in his head. Soldier Firoz received a bullet in his right leg and was taken to Chattogram Combined Military Hospital in the morning, said the official.

At the same time, the intelligence officer said, three terrorists died on the spot as they were caught in the line of fire.

During the drive, the army patrol team seized one SMG, 275 ammunition, three ammunition magazines, three guns, five bullets, four pairs of uniforms and Tk 5,29,000 from the spot.

The army patrol team is now on high alert to ensure the security of local people, the official added.