ISLAMABAD: Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in southwestern Pakistan where five militants were killed, the army’s media wing said on Sunday, vowing to ensure peace, stability, and progress in the province.
Balochistan has been wracked for decades with insurgency, where ethnic Baloch militants have been fighting for more control over the province which happens to be Pakistan’s largest by land but its poorest despite its abundant natural resources.
Militants have mounted attacks on security forces in Balochistan since August 2021 when the Afghan Taliban seized power in Kabul. The militants accuse the Pakistani state of exploiting the region without sharing its riches, a charge Islamabad denies.
The operation took place in Balochistan’s Awaran district on Dec.30-31 during which five “terrorists” were gunned down, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
“Terrorists’ hideout was also busted and a cache of arms, ammunition and explosives was recovered,” the army’s media wing said.
The army said a sanitization operation was being conducted in the area to check for the presence of other militants.
“Security Forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts of sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan,” the ISPR said.
The development takes place amid a fresh surge in militant violence in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan.
In a statement released to the media on Saturday, the ISPR said security forces killed five militants in northwestern Pakistan in an intelligence-based operation.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s top army generals decided in a huddle to deal with militant factions and their facilitators with the “full might of the state” to restore peace in the country.
