QUETTA: Security forces killed five terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan, the ISPR, military mouth peace said on Wednesday.
As a spate of terrorist attacks continued instability in Balochistan, the largest and most resource-rich province.
The overnight raid in Khuzdar district on Sept. 14–15 came two days after an explosion killed five security personnel in neighboring Kech.
“During the conduct of operation, own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and after an intense fire exchange, five Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” the ISPR said in a statement.
Pakistan frequently blames neighboring India and Afghanistan for sponsoring militant groups on its soil, accusations both New Delhi and Kabul have consistently denied.
“Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area,” the military added, saying a sanitization operation was under way to eliminate remaining fighters.
In a separate incident late Tuesday, militants killed a police officer and injured two Levies paramilitary personnel in a coordinated assault on a security post in Sherani, officials said.
“Levies and police personnel retaliated, engaging the militants in a fierce gunbattle,” Deputy Commissioner Hazrat Wali Kakar told reporters.
“One police official, Aftab Ur Rehman, was killed in the attack and two Levies personnel, Kalu Khan and Abdul Wahid, were injured.”
He said one Levies officer was still missing as of Wednesday, with a search operation under way. The attackers also torched a Levies vehicle and destroyed Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) stocks stored at the compound.
Also on Tuesday, unidentified gunmen intercepted two armored vehicles transporting over Rs220 million ($770,000) for private banks from Turbat to Gwadar, senior Levies officer Ilahi Bukhsh said.
The assailants disarmed six security guards before fleeing with the cash. No group has claimed responsibility.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has for years faced a low-level insurgency by separatist groups demanding greater autonomy and control over local resources. The militants regularly attack security forces, infrastructure and foreign projects, deterring badly needed investment.
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