ISLAMABAD: Pakistan security forces on Friday killed a Daesh militant who had been involved in recent bombings in the southwestern Balochistan province, the Pakistani military said.
The militant was killed during an intelligence-based operation in the Killa Saifullah district of Balochistan which was conducted on reported presence of a high-value target, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
“The killed terrorist was the mastermind of recent bombings in Qila Saifullah and Pishin on 7 February 24 and was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies,“
The blast which targeted offices of election candidates a day before national polls in Pakistan killed 24 people and injured dozens. Daesh had claimed responsibility for the twin blasts.
The ISPR said the deceased militant had been planning high-profile suicide attacks in Balochistan, which were averted due to timely and prompt action by security forces and intelligence agencies.
Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces witnessed a surge in violence ahead of the Feb 8 national elections.
Despite stringent security measures, 56 incidents of violence were reported in the country on election day, according to the interior minister. These incidents resulted in the killing of 16 people and caused injuries to 54 others.
In Balochistan, a soldier from a civilian force was killed and 10 others injured in over a dozen blasts caused by grenades or improvised explosive devices, officials said, while two children died in a blast outside a women’s polling station.
