Raid in Kech: Eight militants, two FC men killed in gunfight

A BLF commander died in shootout with paramilitary troops in Kalat

QUETTA: At least eight militants and two paramilitary troops were killed in a gunfight triggered by a search operation in Kech district on Wednesday.

Frontier Corps troops launched the search operation after they were tipped off about the presence of militants from proscribed groups in the Balnagoor and Zahreenbug areas of Kech, a spokesperson for the
force said in a statement.

The search operation triggered a gunfight in which eight militants, including key commanders, were killed”, he said, adding that two FC troops were also martyred.

“Security forces also seized weapons from the possession of the militants,” he added. “After clearing the area, the FC set up checkpoints in Balnagoor and Zahreenbug areas.”

Separately, a commander of the outlawed Baloch Liberation Front was killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Kalat district. A cache of arms and ammunition was also seized.

Balochistan has been witnessing a low key insurgency for more than a decade.

This insurgency was intensified after 2006, when Balochistan’s former governor and Jamhoori Watan Party’s chief Nawaz Akbar Khan Bugti was assassinated in a military operation
in Kohlu.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2015.