Pakistani security forces kill 7 militants during raid near Afghanistan border

Security personnel of Pakistan's Frontier Corps stand on an armoured vehicle near a border crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan at the Pakistan's border town of Qila Saifullah in southwestern province of Balochistan on September 16, 2020. (AFP/File)
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Updated 22 January 2024
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Pakistani security forces kill 7 militants during raid near Afghanistan border

  • Shootout between security forces, militants take place in southwestern Zhob district
  • Balochistan has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by nationalists for over two decades

QUETTA: Pakistan security forces killed seven militants in a shootout in the country’s volatile southwest near the border with Afghanistan, the military said Monday.

The military said the intelligence-based operation was conducted in Zhob district in southwestern Balochistan province. In a brief statement, it said security forces also recovered munitions after the shootout.

Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province, where Baloch nationalists and the Daesh group have claimed responsibility for attacks on security forces in recent years.

Gas-rich Balochistan province at the border with Afghanistan and Iran has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by Baloch nationalists for more than two decades. They initially wanted a share of provincial resources, but later demanded independence.