ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed six militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in an operation in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province, state-run media reported on Wednesday, as the country steps up efforts to combat militancy in the restive region.
Balochistan, which shares its border with Iran and Afghanistan, has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatist militants for the last two decades. In August, ethnic nationalist militants hit several civil and military targets in a string of coordinated attacks in the province, killing more than 50 people on Aug. 25-26. A majority of the assaults were claimed by the BLA, the most prominent among a number of separatist groups operating in the province that is home to key China-led infrastructure projects, including a port and a gold-copper mine.
The government and military say they have stepped up intelligence-based operations to quell the rising tide of the insurgency since the August attacks.
“Six terrorists of BLA were killed in an operation by security forces in the Harnai area of Balochistan,” Radio Pakistan said on Wednesday. “These terrorists were involved in direct attacks on security forces and innocent people.”
The report called the operation a “big blow” to the BLA.
Separatists accuse the central government of exploiting Balochistan’s mineral and gas resources, which the Pakistani state denies, saying it is working to uplift the region through development initiatives.
