9 militants killed in Khuzdar, Awaran

QUETTA:

At least nine Baloch insurgents – including three commanders – were killed and five others arrested during search operations in two militancy-wracked districts of Balochistan on Monday, a senior official of the Frontier Corps told The Express Tribune.

The paramilitary force and a spy agency jointly carried out massive search operations in Khuzdar and Awaran following intelligence reports that some militants were hiding there, the official said. A gunfight ensued after the troops approached one of the hideouts.

“Nine militants were killed and five others were arrested in that operation,” he added.  “These militants were involved in the recent terror attacks in Mastung and Turbat which had left 40 people dead.”

The arrested militants have been shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation. The official, however, would not say which group the dead and detained militants belonged to. Awaran is the hometown of Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, the chief of Baloch Liberation Front, one of the most active groups fighting a low-key insurgency in Balochistan.

Local administrations also confirmed the operations.Sources said the operations started in the early hours of Monday and lasted on Tuesday.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2015.