9 terrorists killed by security forces in Balochistan, says Pakistan military

In an operation in the southwest Balochistan province of Pakistan, the Pakistani security forces have killed nine terrorists and detained three others, according to a statement from the military. A search operation was initiated on Saturday in the province's Kohlu area to find terrorists engaged in terrorist activities, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media arm of the Pakistani military, Xinhua reported.  

Furthermore, Pakistani security authorities raided separatist Balochistan Liberation Army militants in the province's Kohlu area, a military statement revealed. They had learnt that the militants responsible for the previous assault on security forces in Balochistan and the September explosion in Kohlu Bazaar, which resulted in the deaths of two people and the injuries of 19, was hiding and plotting other strikes, Associated Press reported.  

Pakistani security forces conducted a raid in Balochistan province's Kohlu area

The ISPR claimed in a statement that during the search operation, Pakistani security forces came across a group of terrorists and engaged with them in a fierce exchange of fire. The ISPR said that during the gunfight, security forces killed nine militants and captured three others who were injured. As per the Xinhua report, the terrorists who were killed and captured belonged to the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army and were involved in extortion, abduction for ransom, and attacks on local security personnel. 

The ISPR asserted that the terrorists were also responsible for the targeted death of engineers and workers engaged in province-wide development projects and that they had been preparing to carry out terrorist strikes in a number of the province's districts. 

Besides this, the ISPR said that a sizable arsenal of weapons and ammunition were taken from the terrorists. 

In the meantime, the Balochistan Liberation Army and other minor separatist organisations have long waged a low-level insurgency in Balochistan province, calling for independence from Islamabad's central authority. Despite Pakistan's assertions that the insurgency has been put down, the province has continued to experience violence. 

Pakistan's paramilitary forces were responsible for 48 deaths in July

In addition to this, as per a media report in the month of August, a non-profit and unbiased human rights organisation from Balochistan claimed that paramilitary forces in Pakistan were responsible for 48 deaths in the month of July, including 11 incidents of extrajudicial executions. 45 cases of forced disappearances were documented during the month, according to the rights organisation. 

According to the Human Rights Council of Balochistan's report, “Systematic killings and enforced disappearances are considered to be the most pervasive state violations against the people in Balochistan, affecting hundreds of thousands of civilians. These crimes are largely carried out by Pakistani security forces and their affiliated militias locally known as death squads”.