QUETTA: The Pakistan army said on Wednesday nine soldiers and five militants had been killed in a gunbattle during an attack on a garrison in the southwestern Balochistan province.

A new terrorist group, the Tehrik-e Jihad Pakistan (TJP), which announced itself in February this year, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement shared with media. In the past, attacks on security forces and other targets in Balochistan have been carried out largely by the Baloch Liberation Army and other separatist groups that call for complete independence for the arid mountainous province that is Pakistan's largest by territory but smallest by population and most backward in terms of almost all social and development indicators.

In an earlier statement, the army said a group of militants launched an attack on Zhob Garrison in northern Balochistan early morning, during which three militants and four soldiers were killed. Zhob's deputy commissioner told Arab News that five militants attacked the garrison. 

"Clearance operation underway at Zhob Cantt has been completed. In total 5 terrorists have been sent to hell during the operation," the army's media wing said. "However, five soldiers who while fighting gallantly got critically injured earlier succumbed to injuries and embraced shahadat (martyrdom) taking the figure to a total of 9 x shaheeds (martyrs)."

Balochistan borders Afghanistan to the north, Iran to the west and has a long coastline on the Arabian Sea. It has Pakistan's largest natural gas field and is believed to have many more undiscovered reserves.

It is also rich in precious metals including gold, the production of which has grown over recent years.

Most separatist groups in Balochistan operate independently, but some recent reports in local media have pointed to increasing cooperation between them.