ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: Pakistani security forces and police killed at least 11 militants in separate counterterrorism operations in the country’s western provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, authorities said on Friday, highlighting the distinct insurgencies confronting the country along its border with Afghanistan.
In southwestern Balochistan, the military said it killed separatist militants in an intelligence-based operation in Kohlu District on Dec. 25, while police in the northwestern district of Lakki Marwat fought and killed the Pakistani Taliban.
Pakistan’s military said the Balochistan operation targeted fighters it identified as part of “Fitna al Hindustan,” a term authorities use for Baloch separatist outfits, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which have waged a decades-long insurgency in the resource-rich province.
“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 military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement, adding that weapons and explosives were recovered and follow-up clearance operations were underway.
