Quelling insurgency: 30 suspected militants killed in Sui operation
Balochistan minister says two BRA commanders among the dead; one FC soldier also killed .
According to Bugti, the search operation for militants was carried out in response to attacks against important government installations and security forces. PHOTO: ONLINE
QUETTA:
Soldiers of the Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan killed at least 30 suspected militants in Sui on Thursday as part of a fresh offensive to quell the long-running insurgency in the province.
“The forces surrounded the militants early morning on Thursday. It culminated with the killing of 30 militants and arrest of three others,” Balochistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti told reporters at a news conference in Quetta.
He said the militants were members of the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and two main commanders were also killed in the operation.
“Two of the BRA commanders were also killed during the action. The forces also freed two local Bugti men kidnapped for ransom by the militants,” Bugti said, adding that one paramilitary soldier was killed and eight others wounded in the action.
The death toll could not be independently confirmed.
The minister said the forces also destroyed eight militant camps during the operation and recovered 350 kilogrammes of explosives, 50 anti-personnel mines and other arms and ammunition.
According to Bugti, the search operation for militants was carried out in response to attacks against important government installations and security forces. He said security personnel launched to Balochistan, they said. The militants were also suspected to be involved in other sabotage activities, such as blowing up railway tracks, power pylons and gas pipelines, in Balochistan, they added.
According to sources, documents and other intelligence material recovered during the operation also suggested that outlawed organisations and criminals in Balochistan were receiving help from ‘foreign agencies’. “The government will go after the miscreants and will continue operations to protect life and property of the people,” Bugti said at the news conference. He said that while insurgents kept on changing the locations of their camps and that it was difficult to ascertain their exact number, ‘the government would still act against anyone who challenged its writ and make no concessions’.
Meanwhile, FC Balochistan Inspector General Maj-Gen Muhammad Ejaz Shahid appreciated the successful operation and said the force would never allow those involved in destabilising the country to succeed.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2014.
Soldiers of the Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan killed at least 30 suspected militants in Sui on Thursday as part of a fresh offensive to quell the long-running insurgency in the province.
“The forces surrounded the militants early morning on Thursday. It culminated with the killing of 30 militants and arrest of three others,” Balochistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti told reporters at a news conference in Quetta.
He said the militants were members of the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and two main commanders were also killed in the operation.
“Two of the BRA commanders were also killed during the action. The forces also freed two local Bugti men kidnapped for ransom by the militants,” Bugti said, adding that one paramilitary soldier was killed and eight others wounded in the action.
The death toll could not be independently confirmed.
The minister said the forces also destroyed eight militant camps during the operation and recovered 350 kilogrammes of explosives, 50 anti-personnel mines and other arms and ammunition.
According to Bugti, the search operation for militants was carried out in response to attacks against important government installations and security forces. He said security personnel launched to Balochistan, they said. The militants were also suspected to be involved in other sabotage activities, such as blowing up railway tracks, power pylons and gas pipelines, in Balochistan, they added.
According to sources, documents and other intelligence material recovered during the operation also suggested that outlawed organisations and criminals in Balochistan were receiving help from ‘foreign agencies’. “The government will go after the miscreants and will continue operations to protect life and property of the people,” Bugti said at the news conference. He said that while insurgents kept on changing the locations of their camps and that it was difficult to ascertain their exact number, ‘the government would still act against anyone who challenged its writ and make no concessions’.
Meanwhile, FC Balochistan Inspector General Maj-Gen Muhammad Ejaz Shahid appreciated the successful operation and said the force would never allow those involved in destabilising the country to succeed.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2014.