Insurgency: Three militants killed, four held in Khuzdar

Suspects belong to a Baloch separatist organisation

QUETTA: Security officials shot dead three suspected militants and arrested four others in the Wadh area of Khuzdar district on Monday.

“Three suspects were killed in an encounter with security forces and Balochistan Levies. Weapons, ammunition and an improvised explosive device were recovered from the suspects,” Khuzdar Deputy Commissioner Waheed Shah told The Express Tribune. The exchange of fire took place in the Lop area of Wadh tehsil in the early hours of Monday.



“The militants belonged to a banned Baloch organisation operating in and around Khuzdar,” Shah added.

Commenting on the incident, a Frontier Corps (FC) spokesperson said the suspects opened fire at FC personnel during the search operation.

“The FC personnel shot dead three militants and arrested four others belonging to Lashkar-e-Balochistan and the banned United Baloch Army,” the spokesperson said.

Further, the FC personnel seized two small machine guns, four magazines, a laptop, a passport, a motorcycle and five mobile phones.

The bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital in Khuzdar for autopsy. Two of the deceased were identified as Abdul Aziz and Khalil, while the third was not identified till the filing of this report.

There have been no statements from any banned Baloch militant organisation regarding the exchange of fire with security forces.

Khuzdar is among the worst militancy-hit areas in Balochistan where target killings and bombings are frequent. Khuzdar Press Club has been closed for the past two months following threats to journalists.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2014.