Pakistani officials say police foiled a major terror attack on December 13 in central Punjab Province, killing at least four suspected Taliban militants.
Rai Zamir-ul-Haq, a senior police officer said the four men were spotted travelling in a vehicle near the city of Muzaffargah and were killed in a shootout.
Police later raided the men's hideout and recovered dozens of grenades, rocket launchers, and four suicide bomb vests, the official said.
He said authorities believe the men were plotting to attack a Shi'ite rally on December 13 marking the Arbaeen commemoration.
Arbaeen marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson and the first Imam of Shi'a Islam.
A police spokeswoman in the provincial capital, Lahore, confirmed the killings and said police had cordoned off the area to search for any other militants in the region.
