Security forces killed eight terrorists and lost two soldiers in operations in Balochistan, the military’s media wing said on Saturday, as intelligence-based operations continued across three areas of the province.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces have been conducting multiple intelligence-based operations in Kolpur, Kardagap and Nushki since Friday, 13 November. The statement said troops were also carrying out area domination and patrolling along the Quetta–Taftan National Highway (N-40) to keep local traffic safe.
During the night of 13 and 14 November, security forces killed eight terrorists of Fitna al Hindustan in Kolpur, the ISPR said. The statement said the dead included a suicide bomber, and that a large cache of weapons and ammunition was recovered from the site of the operation.
The operation in Kolpur was part of the wider set of intelligence-based operations under way in the three areas, according to the statement. It said the forces were acting on intelligence about the presence of terrorists, and that the patrolling and area domination along the N-40 was continuing alongside the operations to ensure the safety of local traffic.
In a separate incident, the ISPR said, terrorists attacked patrolling military vehicles with armed quadcopters. Major Omer Minhas Nasir, a resident of Chakwal district, and Havildar Muhammad Adnan Khan, a resident of Kotli Sattian, embraced martyrdom in the attack, according to the statement.
The ISPR said the attack had not shaken the resolve of the security forces and that clearance operations would continue until the threat was neutralised. According to the statement, Fitna al Hindustan is backed by India and other hostile intelligence agencies and is using drones and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in its attacks. The statement further said India provides financial assistance and advanced equipment to the group.
Initial reports from the area had put the death toll at 10 in Kirdgap, Noshki, but the official ISPR statement confirms that eight terrorists were killed in the Kolpur operation.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the security forces for their action against the terrorists. The ISPR separately reported operations in North Waziristan as well.
