ISLAMABAD: Five soldiers, including a captain, were killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province this week, the military’s media wing said, as Islamabad struggles to contain surging militancy. 

The IED blast took place when security forces were moving for a sanitization operation in Sher Bandi area of the southwestern Kech district on Sept. 15, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Monday. The ISPR said the casualties included Captain Waqar Ahmed, 25, Naik Amat Ullah, 35, Lance Naik Junaid Ahmed, 29, Lance Naik Khan Muhammad, 29 and Sepoy Muhammad Zahor, 28. 

“During follow up sanitization operation five terrorists of Indian proxy, Fitna Al Hindustan, were sent to hell,” the ISPR said. 

The military’s media wing commonly uses the term “Fitna Al Hindustan,” meaning “India’s mischief,” in the local language to establish a link between separatist militants in Balochistan with the Indian state. 

India denies it is involved in fanning militant activities in Pakistan’s Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces. 

“The sacrifices of brave officers and soldiers further strengthen our resolve, as the security forces of Pakistan in step with the nation remain steadfast to eradicate Indian sponsored terrorism from the country,” the ISPR said. 

The attack takes place as Pakistan struggles to contain surging militancy in Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan. The province, considered Pakistan’s most backward one by almost all social and economic indicators, has been the plagued by a low-level insurgency for years. 

Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said in a report last month that the country witnessed a sharp escalation in militant violence in August, with attacks reaching their highest monthly level in more than a decade. 

The report said Balochistan saw 28 attacks in August that killed 52 people, including 23 security personnel and 21 civilians. Militants kidnapped at least five people, while security operations killed 50 fighters, the highest number in Balochistan since June 2015, when 60 militants were reported killed. Security officials said those targeted included members of separatist groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).

Separatist militant groups such as the BLA and the BLF accuse Islamabad of depriving the province’s locals of a share in its natural resources, allegations which Islamabad denies. The civilian government and military point to several health, education and social initiatives in Balochistan that they saw are designed to reduce unemployment and provide benefits to people.