Early on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis shook with gunfire and explosions, which was the part of Paris anti-terror operation. In the operation, two were dead including a woman who blew up herself with a suicide bomb.

In the operation that targeted the Belgian jihadist Abdelhamid Abaaoud, four police officers have been injured. Abaaoud is believed to be the mastermind behind the Friday's attacks.

Also read: Abdelhamid Abaaoud 'identified as mastermind' behind Paris attacks

A building in which a Belgian Islamist militant was suspected to be holed up was surrounded by the French police. The firing killed two assailants, including a woman who used a suicide bomb to detonate herself, said the source close to the case. However, the police operation is being continued for two other suspects.

The police raid filled the streets of Saint-Denis with police and soldiers, heavily armed. Their target was Islamic State militant Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was initially believed as the man behind the Paris attacks from Syria, according to sources from police and justice.

According to a judicial source, initially, police was hunting for other suspects in the street but later believed that he was also there in the building. At around 4.30 a.m. (9 a.m. IST), the shooting began and the RAID Unit police special forces are still taking part in fire exchange even after three hours, said witnesses.

-Sumana