Balochistan violence: Seven militants killed in two gunfights

Three men injured in Dera Bugti landmine blast

QUETTA: A day after four suspected terrorists were eliminated in a firefight with law enforcers in suburban Quetta, security forces claimed that they have killed three militants in a gunbattle in Kalat district.

Acting on a tip-off about the presence of armed militants in the Sumalo area of Kalat, FC troops and intelligence agency officials mounted a search operation, security sources told The Express Tribune.

Militants hiding in a compound were asked to turn themselves in, but they opened fire on the raiding party instead, sources added. A heavy gunfight ensued that continued for several hours.

“When the firefight ended, three militants belonging to a proscribed group lay dead,” confirmed FC spokesperson Khan Wasey. He added that three camps of militants were decimated in the operation. “Arms and ammunition were also recovered.”

The deadly clash took place hours after four suspected militants were killed and three policemen wounded in a gunbattle in the Hazarganji area on the outskirts of Quetta Thursday night. DIG Abdul Razzaq Cheema confirmed four armed terrorists have been killed.

Official sources, however, said the firefight happened when police and Anti-Terrorist Force, along with intelligence officials, conducted an intelligence-driven raid on a compound in Hazarganji

The terrorists hiding inside opened fire on the raiding party which returned the fire, sources said. The terrorists then lobbed a hand grenade, injuring three policemen. The gunfight ended when the law enforcers took down the four terrorists.

Elsewhere in the restive province, at least three men were injured in a landmine blast in Dera Bugti town on Friday. The men were travelling on a tractor which ran over a roadside landmine planted by suspected militants, said  Levies officials.

All three on board the tractor were wounded who were subsequently driven to a nearby hospital, while security forces cordoned off the area and mounted a search operation.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2016.