ISLAMABAD: Six “terrorists” were killed during an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province who were involved in attacks against civilians and law enforcers, the army’s media wing said on Saturday.
The operation took place in Balochistan’s Kalat district on Mar. 29 on the reported presence of militants there, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said in a statement.
“During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and after an intense fire exchange, six terrorists were successfully neutralized,” the ISPR said.
The army’s media wing said the slain militants were involved in recent “terrorist activities” in the area against law enforcement agencies and civilians. It said a sanitization operation was being conducted in the area to eliminate any other militants.
“Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan,” the statement said.
The operation took place amid a surge in militancy in Balochistan, Pakistan’s mineral-rich province that borders Iran and Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, militants belonging to the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked a passenger train in the province, holding hundreds of passengers hostage.
The military launched an operation and, after a day-long standoff, rescued 354 captives and killed 33 insurgents. A final count showed 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the attack.
The violence refused to die down, as days later three paramilitary soldiers among five people were killed in a suicide attack in Balochistan’s Nushki district.
Balochistan has been the scene of a low-level insurgency for decades where separatist militants demand a greater share of the province’s natural resources and accuse the central government in Islamabad of exploiting them.
Pakistan’s government and military refute the allegations, pointing to health, education and other projects that they say will boost Balochistan’s development.
The province is Pakistan’s largest by landmass yet its most backward by almost all economic and social indicators.
