ISLAMABAD: Two soldiers and two militants were killed during an exchange of fire between the two sides in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, the army’s media wing said on Sunday.
Security forces and militants traded fire in Balochistan’s Awaran district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement, adding that two militants were killed during the exchange while two others were injured.
“However, during intense exchange of fire, Naib Subedar Asif Irfan (age 37 years, resident of District Okara) and Sepoy Irfan Ali (age 22 years, resident of District Sargodha) having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat [martyrdom],” the army’s media wing said.
The ISPR said security forces carried out a sanitization process of the area to hunt for other militants in the area.
“Security Forces are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it said.
Balochistan shares a porous border with Iran and Afghanistan and has long been a battleground for a low-level insurgency. Baloch nationalists argue they are fighting against the unfair extraction of the province’s resources by the federal government, an accusation Islamabad denies.
A number of armed factions operating in the province where Pakistan and China are jointly undertaking infrastructure development and regional connectivity projects have stepped up attacks in Balochistan, after a fragile truce between the state and the Pakistani Taliban broke down last year.
Balochistan also experienced a major suicide attack in September that targeted a religious congregation in Mastung, killing nearly 60 people.
