Joint operation: Two killed, 16 arrested in Qilla Abdullah manhunt

QUETTA:

Security forces killed two alleged criminals on Monday and rounded up 16 others during a search operation in the Killi Misezai area of the Qila Abdullah district. A security official was also wounded during the pre-dawn operation, jointly launched by the Frontier Corps (FC) and Anti Terrorism Force near Mezai Adda.

Soon after the killings, local tribesmen staged a protest in the area and detained eight Pakistan Customs officials, including Additional Customs Collector Shahnshah Hussain, a Balochistan Levies official said. The protestors also blocked the highway near Mezai Adda for vehicular traffic. He said that the Customs officials have not been kidnapped and are being detained by the tribesmen in reaction to the search operation. Negotiations with the angry tribesmen are under way, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2012.