At least six Baloch militants and two policemen were killed in two separate incidents in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Sunday.
While six militants were killed by security forces in in the Central Makran mountain range, two policemen were killed when militants opened fire at a security check post in Qaidi Shakh area of Jaffarabad district.
The Pakistani security forces were tipped off about militants' presence in the Central Makran mountain range and they launched an operation to arrest them, according to a statement by the Army.
However, the terrorists tried to escape from their hideout while firing on the security forces, resulting in the killing of "six terrorists" in the exchange of fire.
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The Army's statement said the militants, part of the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), were involved in attacks on the post of the security forces and also in the recent roadside bombing in Proom and Panjgur areas. It added that arms and ammunition were also recovered, which were intended to be used by the terrorists for disrupting peace and security in the area.
In the other incident, armed men on motorcycles attacked police personnel posted in the Qaidi Shakh area of Jaffarabad district, killing two police constables on the spot, according to an official. The assailants fled after the attack.
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No insurgent or militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups frequently carry out attacks targeting security personnel, government projects, and the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in the region. They blame the federal government of neglecting the province while depriving it of its mineral wealth.
These incidents follow two attacks. Earlier on Friday, militants had killed four labourers and injured another four when they attacked a labour camp and opened indiscriminate fire in Balochistan's Harnai district.
On Tuesday, armed men kidnapped four employees, including two engineers of a private coal company, in Quetta’s Hanna Urak area.
(With PTI inputs)
