ISLAMABAD: Two army officers lost their lives in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Friday after an improvised explosive device (IED) denoted near their vehicle while carrying out an operation against militants residing in the area.
According to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, ISPR, the incident happened after the security forces received “credible intelligence” about militant presence in Kohlu district of the province and sprang into action “to deny terrorist any liberty of action.”
“During the ensuing sanitisation of the area, an IED exploded close to the leading party,” said the ISPR. “Resultantly, 2 x officers (Major Jawad and Captain Sagheer) embraced Shahadat [martyrdom] and laid their lives in defence of the motherland against an externally perpetrated threat.”
The statement added the operation was still continuing to secure the area.
Balochistan has long been a scene of a low-level insurgency by separatist groups seeking independence from the central government in Islamabad. The province is also the most impoverished in the country and shares a long border with Iran and Afghanistan.
Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo condemned the IED blast and offered condolences to the families of the military officials.
“Those who sacrificed their lives for the protection of the country are heroes of the nation,” he said. “People look at the terrorists and their objectives with contempt.”
