Frontier Corps raid: Four BLF men killed, many arrested

Security forces recover arms, vehicles that the militants had captured

QUETTA: The Frontier Corps (FC) claimed to have killed four members of the outlawed Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) and arrested several suspects during a search operation in Mashkay area of the troubled Khuzdar district, an FC spokesperson said on Friday.

Security forces carried out an operation in a BLF camp during which Commander Sattar Ilyas Malik, Sabzal, Dad Mohammed and Amanullah were killed while several other suspects were arrested, according to the spokesperson. “FC soldiers seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the area during the search,” he said.

Security personnel have recovered the official weapons and vehicles from the suspects which had been snatched from the personnel of Balochistan Levies by BLF militants. “The suspects were wanted in the cases of kidnappings, extortion and targeted killings in the area,” he said.

Inspector General of FC, Ejaz Shahid, lauded the action against the banned organisation. “FC will continue to take action against such miscreants who are working on foreign agendas to destabilise the region,” Shahid said.

United Baloch Army man arrested 

A spokesperson for FC said on Friday that a suspect of the banned United Baloch Army (UBA) has been arrested from Rakhni area of district Bakhan. “FC raided the hideout on secret information and arrested a suspect belonging to the UBA,” he said.

According to FC, the arrested militant and his companions were involved in carrying out attacks on security forces, planting IEDs, landmines, and attacks on teams involved in development in the area.

Landmine kills one

A man belonging to Amn Laskhar, a pro-government militia, was killed and another injured in a landmine explosion in Bekar area of Bugti tribal territory, on Friday.

According to an official of Balochistan Levies, the men from Amn Lashkar were searching the area in Bekar, about 75 kilometres from Dera Bugti, when one of them stepped on a landmine planted by militants. As result of explosion Foja Baksh Ali Bugti died on the spot while Bachal sustained injuries.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2014.